If You're Good At Something, Never Do It For Free
by NotCallingYouALiar2
Summary: Meet Nora Hawthorne. She spent her time like most Gotham residents. Go to work, go home, keep up with the news. That changed one night. Her life becomes even more interesting after Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime comes crashing in with a life-threatening injury, leaving chaos and intrigue in his wake. Review if you like, I'd love to hear from you!
1. Chapter 1: In Need of Some Assistance

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it. I've read quite a bit of them and I figured I'd give it a shot. I saw the new Joker movie and it rekindled my love for Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight so it is based on his version of the Joker. It's a Joker X OC story taking place shortly after the events of The Dark Knight.**

**Comment/review if you like, but please be kind! It's a work in progress so I'm not sure how many chapters it will be but I will be updating regularly. **

_**Text in italics indicate what the OC is thinking to herself.**_

**My apologies for grammar or punctuation errors. **

**Disclaimer: DC owns the Joker and other characters but the OC, Nora is mine :)**

**... and here we go!**

**Chapter One: In Need of Some Assistance **

_Jesus, it's been a long day._ A woman with brunette hair above her shoulders, wearing a pair of loose teal green scrubs stands from her desk chair to twist her torso until a satisfying *crack* is heard, followed by a deep sigh. The noise of her tired spine popping into alignment is heard only by her as she stands alone in the treatment area of the now empty veterinary hospital. The brick structure sits between an apartment building and a law firm in West Harlow, the Gotham City neighborhood west of downtown, adjacent to The Narrows. This location makes Dr. Nora Hawthorne one busy veterinarian. On a daily basis she tends to anything from impatient businessmen toting in their wives' teacup Yorkies with a little cough to large Rottweilers with deep neck wounds. To say she's gained a variety of experience is an understatement.

She doesn't own the place, though. Two years out of school and 30 years old means she has some hefty bills to pay. Dr. Moore owns the clinic. Taking this job meant long hours and a busy schedule with not much sympathy from David Moore. "Your generation expects everything handed to them, don't you? I had to work harder than this to get where I am," as he just loved to remind her of every time she requested time off for a little… what is it called again? Oh right, work-life balance. Sure, Moore. Enjoy your mini mansion in Uptown since it seems you have no problem balancing the weight of your business on a pair of younger shoulders. Even if it means those shoulders are constantly wound up in to deep knots that no amount of morning yoga can seem to unravel. But she can't quit. Those bills to pay threaten to pile higher and she's afraid of heights. Plus, job security in Gotham is hard to come by. Especially since the Joker escaped from Arkham two months ago.

That was in May. Everyone in the city has been on edge since then and the Summer heat is not helping. The days go by but not a peep has been heard in regard to the Clown Prince of Crime's whereabouts. Same for the Batman. The eerie silence has only been making it worse. The traffic congesting the city streets increases in intensity every evening as Gotham's citizens rush home in an effort to avoid getting caught up in whatever devastating scheme the Joker has been cooking up during his involuntary vacation. But the threat never comes, leaving the city's inhabitants to nervously watch and wait. Maybe it won't come. Maybe he left Gotham for good. Left to terrorize a new city. Wishful thinking is what gets us all through the day. But the tension still weighs on everyone's nerves, making Nora's day that much harder when she gets an earful from her clients on a regular basis for things that are out of her control. "Sir, you don't need to speak to me like that. I did not give your cat a urinary tract infection," is not something she thought she'd ever find herself saying.

_It is what it is._ All she can do is keep her head on her shoulders and do her job, care for Gotham's only truly innocent citizens. Animals don't dwell in the past, they only live in the present. In that regard, they're smarter than the majority of Gotham's inhabitants. She made it her job to advocate for their health and well-being, since they can't do it themselves. Nora was staying late to finish medical records for the sea of patients the clinic took in that day and she wanted it all recorded while it was fresh in her brain. If you don't write it down, it didn't happen. She told her assistant, "You go on home, I'll just be here finishing notes. Get some rest." The heavy set women expressed her concern for Dr. Hawthorne being here by herself but the job has gotten her used to being out well after dark. "Don't worry, I'll keep the door locked," was the response her assistant, Jen, would always get in return. She didn't want to argue so she would leave Nora to her work within the off-white walls of the dimly lit hospital in silence.

Nora stretched once more and shifted a glance to the clock on the wall. _9:58pm._ Had it been fourteen hours already? Her stomach responded with a growl as if to answer in the affirmative. The hard-working staff finished cleaning the treatment room a couple of hours ago leaving the two metal tables in the center of the room shiny and ready for whatever tomorrow brings. The room wasn't very large but the open design left ample room for patient care. The treatment tables against the walls opposite from each other extended toward the center of the room, leaving a four foot space between them, and had ceiling-mounted exam lights above them. Along the walls there were shelves of neatly organized equipment and tools. Essentials. White medical tape, boxes of gloves, bandage scissors, IV catheters in a variety of sizes, thermometers, bottles of isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, jars with gauze soaked in chlorhexidine scrub, sterile lubricant, needles and syringes, and bandage material being among the most heavily utilized items. Along the back wall is a bank of cages and kennels for patients spending the day in the clinic (any patients in need of continued care were transferred to a nearby twenty four-hour hospital) flanked by drawers full of IV fluids and sterilized tools. The back right corner of the room opened into a short hallway leading to the area that housed a small surgical suite, devoid of any light this time of night, where a cart with monitors and a gas anesthesia circuit sat in wait for its next use. Just beyond this suite is a small door marked "Radiology" indicating the digital X-ray equipment kept inside, keeping radiation exposure to the rest of the place at a minimum. Nora's desk is in the back left corner of the treatment room, a shelf full of medical reference books sitting above her head. Also that "World's Greatest Dog-tor" certificate Jen gave her last Spring. Nora didn't have the heart to tell her she found it kind of insulting.

With the last medical record completed, details of the day's procedures noted in succinct but thorough language, it was time for the doctor to make her way back to her nearby apartment for some much needed rest. She left her seldom-worn long white lab coat on the back of her chair where it always was and removed the black stethoscope from around her neck to place it on her desk. Walking toward the red-lit exit sign above the side door leading to the alley, she flicked the switch to turn the remaining lights off. She usually had a small can of pepper spray readied in her hand when she left alone at a late hour. But Nora had been practically beaten into the ground with exhaustion at this point and her thoughts were instead centered around a hot shower and her soft bed.

She opened the door to receive a gust of warm night air to her face, intensifying her sleepy feelings. Letting out a rather large yawn, she turned to put her keys in the door to lock it. As she removed the key from the lock, she felt a strange sensation on the back her neck. Like a crawling of her skin, a feeling of dread. Before she could turn around in search of the source of her body's sudden danger signal, a purple glove slammed onto the door next to her head. Her eyes snapped to the glove and she froze, unable to breathe, while her heart jumped into her throat.

"Evening, doc," a nasally, raspy voice said. She slowly turned her head to find herself face to face with the Joker himself, leaning with his gloved hand against the door. His makeup was smudged wildly and he was wearing his signature purple overcoat and suit. All color drained from Nora's face as her breathing quickened to a practically panting rate, the idea of sleep drowned in a surge of adrenaline. Before she could make a sound his other gloved hand clapped over her mouth, a knife tucked between his thumb and index finger, the blade laying flat across the top of his hand.

"Ahh tah tah, no screamin', doc. Wouldn't want to wake the neighbors, would we?" he said, his dark eyes staring straight into hers. Nora struggled to regain her composure, it did her no good to panic. She knew begging and crying would get her nowhere with the Joker. Better to have as clear a head as possible. She took a sharp inhale through her nose. The wave of gasoline and extinguished matches that met her nostrils was overwhelming. It almost made her dizzy. But she slowly let the breath back out through her nose. Their gaze into each other's eyes, hers wide with fear, his black and hooded, had not been broken since his zeroed in on hers. It was like magnets were keeping her eyes on his, no matter how hard she tried to look away, she couldn't do it.

"Now. I'm going to move my hand and youuu are not gonna scream. Got it?" his voice getting slightly higher as he spoke. Without thinking Nora nodded slowly, still not breaking their stare, as he slid his hand from over her mouth.

She allowed herself to blink. Then, trying not to let her voice crack, she quietly said, "H-How did you know I'm a doctor?" _Stupid stupid stupid. You are an idiot Nora Hawthorne. _

Joker let out a breathy giggle and Nora's gaze then fixated on his mouth. His scars. They were even more striking up close. Nora was no stranger to stitching up wounds and these must have been awful. She didn't want him to see her eyeing them so she shifted her eyes back up to his.

"Who else would be here this la-te, hm?" Nora couldn't do anything but open her mouth and shake her head, her eyebrows knitted together with anxiety.

Still bracing himself against the building on his left hand planted on top of the door he said, "Enough with the formalities doc. I am in need for some, uh, assistance, you see." It was then that the doctor noticed the Joker's breathing. It was shallow and rather fast. Like he couldn't catch his breath but was trying to. _Oh shit, what does he mean by that._ She wasn't sure how she didn't notice his labored breathing until now. She supposed being paralyzed with fear would do that to a person. Nora watched as the Joker then lifted the flap of his coat from his right side, revealing a two inch wide piece of glass sticking out from between his ribs. There was blood trailing from it, down his green vest. She gasped. He dropped the fabric and grabbed her by the chin, jerking her head so her eyes met his yet again.

"So, my little doctor, youuu are going to provide said assistance-ah," he growled. Nora's eyes grew even wider.

"Wait wait, what? No no I'm a veterinarian, I'm not a human doctor," she said in a panicked voice. _Yeah, nice one, Hawthorne._

"I can read, doc," the Joker said, gesturing to the painted door that read Gotham City Veterinary Urgent Care. "I know you've got what I need in that pretty little head of yours." He tried to stifle a gasping sound from his throat as he attempted to inhale before speaking again. "I am an animal after all aren't I, hm?" he said, leaning his head forward and bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. Nora was stunned.

"Why me? Why did you come here for help?"

"Can't quite go to the emergency room, can I doc? Besides, you take care of little doggies and kitties all day. Just think of meee as a lost little, uh, puppy," he said, shifting his weight to put his knife-wielding right hand against the door on the other side of her head so Nora was trapped beneath him, their noses inches apart.

Fear bubbled its way up into her head again. She couldn't think straight. How did Gotham's most notorious criminal end up here, in front of her, with a life-threatening injury? It didn't matter how, it only mattered that now it was happening. But, how could she justify helping the Joker? He caused so much death and destruction to this city, her city. She could do her best to fight, she might stand a chance against him in this weakened state. But he was the Joker. He'd probably still be able to slit her throat faster than she could get out from under him. He was the Joker but he also was a person. A person in what she was sure was a significant amount of pain. Another gasping sound made its way out of Joker's mouth.

"Haven't got all night, doc."

Nora's expression softened. _What the fuck am I getting myself into?_

"Ok," she said, lifting her keys and turning to unlock the door.


	2. Chapter 2: Emergency

**Chapter Two: Emergency**

Nora turned the key and shoved the door open.

She quickly made her way to the treatment room, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as a reminder of who was following her into the building. Before she could turn to switch on the lights, the Joker wheeled her around with one hand on the back of her head and the other holding his knife to her neck. Their faces were inches apart and illuminated by the red exit sign, making Joker look that much more frightening.

"No, uh, funny business, doc. We need to come to an… understanding. An arrangement. One that involves you handing over your phone and meee watching your ev-er-y move-ah," he panted. Nora choked on her saliva out of surprise from the sharp instrument that was now firmly pressed against her throat, but not hard enough to break skin.

She didn't want to nod her head out of fear of dragging the blade across her skin so she muttered out a quiet "Ok, yes."

"Phone. Noww." She slowly reached into her back pocket and pulled out the out-dated phone, bringing it up between their faces as they kept their eyes locked. Joker grabbed it and shoved it in his pocket. Removing the knife from Nora's throat, he glanced around the dark room.

"Any cameraas?" Nora shook her head. "After you, doll," he said, gesturing toward the blackness. Nora reached toward the wall and switched on the lights, flooding the room with bright, artificial light.

_You can do this. _She cleared her throat, "Um, Joker?" He turned to her, eyebrows raised and small grin forming on his scarred lips.

"Nice place ya got here, doc." His breathing was alternating between shallow breathlessness and longer controlled inhales that gave way to a small rasp. But he didn't show any sign of this battle for air on his face.

Nora stood up straight, trying to slow her breathing and not subconsciously match his rapid rhythm. She took a deep breath and said, "Um, yes. Uh, well it seems like you're having trouble breathing." Her whole body was buzzing with pins and needles.

He smiled, showing his teeth and said, "Ahh, there she is. What a doc-tor-ly observation." His tongue darted out to lick his lower lip.

Her feet felt like they were glued to the floor where she stood, staring at them. _Nope, keep it together. This is not the time to crumble to pieces. Just treat him like you would any other chest wound._ She brought her head up to look at Joker and said, "I need to get some supplies…um. Can I…?"

Joker said, "Go on, doc. Just know that my little, uh, friend here is watchin' ya," twirling the knife between his fingers and his grin falling into a scowl.

_Ok, do it. Go._ Nora steadily walked toward her desk, Joker's piercing gaze following her. She put her hands on the back of her desk chair and started wheeling it toward him. She struggled to keep from shaking as she got closer, locking eyes with Joker yet again.

She quietly spoke, "Y-You should sit down." Joker looked down at the chair then back at Nora. He started taking his purple coat off. He slid it off his left shoulder, a small wince flashed across his face when he shifted himself to remove his right arm. With a grunt, he slipped off the coat. This was the first time Nora saw him show any indication of feeling any of what must have been extreme pain. He laid the garment on the exam table. She watched him leave it there and he said, "Oh don't worry, I have plen-ty of other hiding places," his voice deepening and motioning to his abandoned coat that held what she knew must have been more than a dozen knives or other weapons within its pockets. She didn't know what else to do but quickly nod.

She removed her hands from the back of the chair as he sat down, as if touching him might burn her. They stared at each other while he took of his gloves, holding his knife between his teeth as he did so. Then he dropped them to the floor. Nora's eyes went back to the glass in his side. Her heart started pounding. _Fuck, that's a big piece of glass._ Reality rushed over her and left her with a new feeling of determination. Nora wanted to fix this. That's why she's a doctor. But she has never worked on a person before, she worked with animals because she felt they were better patients. Even if they tried to bite her, she's sure some people would do the same and she knows her patients deserved her care more. Plus, non-verbal communication was always her preference so she liked patients that don't talk.

_Ok, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right._ She kept her eyes on him as she backed up and felt around on her desk for her stethoscope. Once she felt the plastic tube in her fingers, she lifted it and began walking back toward the Joker. He sat with both feet on the ground and hands on his thighs, the knife still in his grasp, following her with his eyes. She knelt down at his side and prepared to put the ear pieces in her ears, pausing with them resting on her jaw. The Joker was expressionless, leaving Nora unable to guess what he might be thinking. Her blood ran cold.

"I need to listen to your chest."

The silence was deafening. Nora waited for a response. Joker coughed loudly, causing her to jump. He let out a breathy giggle before nodding slowly at Nora, head tilted toward her. She could hear her heart hammering in her ears and her hands trembled as she held the bell of the stethoscope delicately in her fingers, moving it toward his chest. She took a deep breath in through her nose, the smell of fuel and fire burning her senses. The instrument, along with her finger tips, made contact and she could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt and waistcoat. The sound of her heart racing in her ears was replaced with his. _So there is a heart beating in there._ And it was beating fast, 140 beats per minute. She slid the device along his chest and listened for lung sounds. She could hear the quick in and out of his breathing over his left lung fields, it sounded clear. Her eyes glanced up and met his. He smirked at her, his scars stretching along his face, and winked. Nora swallowed hard, her mouth drier than it had ever been before. She moved to listen to his right lung fields. Nothing. No sounds of air moving in or out. _Shit._

The Joker must had detected her sudden panic because he said, "Problem, doc?" She froze, staring at the glass between his ribs. It had air bubbles gurgling in it with each inhale. This is what she was afraid of when she first saw the wound and the way he had been breathing.

"I need to take an x-ray," she did her best to calmly reply.

Joker licked his lips and made a popping noise. "Well if you wanted to see what makes this specimen tick, all ya had to do was ask, doc." He tried to laugh but it came out as more of a cough. He gaze was no longer fixed and sharp but blank and distant. He was becoming somewhat delirious. At least Nora thought so.

Nora stood, throwing her stethoscope around her neck and started pushing the desk chair toward radiology. Joker's head rolled back so that he was staring upward at her as she pushed forward. "All business, I see," he said while he gazed vacantly at the underside of her chin. They stopped in front of the door in the darkened hallway. Nora opened the door revealing the digital radiology machine with a flat table and a transformer above it, ready to release the rays through its collimator. She promptly entered, pulling Joker along in his chair. Then she hit the button on the machine's panel and it responded by coming to life with a steady hum. Her adrenaline was at an all-time high. She bent down to grab the Joker's arm and pull him up.

"Ah ah ah, slow down there, doc," he lifted his knife in her direction. He had managed to hang on to it in the daze he was now fighting. She flinched and put her hands up in front of her. Still pointing the knife at her, he slowly stood from the chair. He inspected Nora with his eyes, up and down. Then he turned to the x-ray machine, he looked like he was thinking about something. Maybe whether or not her could trust her. But he already made that judgement call when he came to her door. She was his only option as it became more difficult for him to breathe. The Joker sat on the machine's table and made eye contact with Nora again, his tongue darting out to lick his lips and his expression blank again.

She took this as a sign of him seeking further instruction and said "Ok, now lay on your back." He leaned onto his back and swung his legs up on the table as she pushed a little button, illuminating a rectangular shape of light with a shadowed cross indicating the center. The table was designed with its use intended for companion animals so the Joker's feet dangled over the edge in a somewhat humorous manner. Nora grabbed hold of the transformer's handles and slid it along it's track to center the lit frame over Joker's chest. She made a few adjustments to the settings and started making her way through the door with the machine's foot pedal.

"And where might you be going?"

Nora turned and replied, "Oh, I, uh. I don't want the radiation exposure so I'm gonna take the image from out here."

"Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Joker replied, rolling his head to face her.

Before she could think better of it, she asked "Have you ever had an x-ray taken before?"

"Nooo I have no-t," he replied.

Relieved that he didn't somehow take offense to her question, Nora continued. "Oh, well I'll let you know when to hold still, then it'll take a few seconds to capture the image."

"I'm ready for my close-up, doc," a nasally voice replied from the table.

Nora stifled a giggle and took her place around the side of the doorway. _Did the Joker really just make me laugh? _"Alright, the machine makes a pretty loud sound. I'm gonna count to three and on three, exhale as much as you can then hold it… One, two, three." She hit the pedal with her foot and the machine whirred loudly until a beep was heard. The whirring died down and she re-entered the room.

"Ok, you can breathe," she said.

"Am I, uh, rad-io-active now, hm?" he replied, his respirations becoming more ragged.

Nora didn't hear him as she stared at the x-ray image of Joker's chest on the screen in front of her, her eyes wide. "You have a lot of air in your chest," she said, eyes still locked on the screen.

Joker sat up with a painful grunt and stood to look at the screen. "Uh, pardon?" he asked, his nose right next to Nora's ear.

"You have a pneumothorax. There is air in your chest cavity, outside of your lung. It's putting pressure your left lung and your heart," Nora said quickly, trying not to move with Joker's face so close to hers. "The glass in your side must be letting small amounts of air in when you inhale but not letting it back out." She could feel his breathless puffs of warm air against her cheek.

"And your solution, doc?" he replied, tilting his head to the side.

"Um, we have to let the air out. I need to stick a needle through your chest wall to decompress the buildup of air, then fix the wound."

Joker let out a wheeze of a laugh. It quickly turned into a cough that shook his ribs, causing him to growl with pain. He clapped his hands together and said, "Wellll then, what are we waiting for, hm?"

"Come with me," Nora said, her heart pounding in her chest. She left the dark little room and headed into the surgical suite. She switched the lights on and turned around to come face to face with Joker. He looked her in the eyes, she could see what looked like a hint of worry in his expression.

"I-If you could lay on this table, I'm gonna get some things I need."

Joker looked at the surgical table, large mirrored lights from the ceiling above it. "No funny business, doll," he replied, staring at the table. Nora quickly left the room to get some supplies from the treatment, making a mental list as she went.

_Ok, I need a large over-the-needle catheter, extension set tubing, a three way stopcock, and a 30, no, 60 ml syringe. Then I'll need to remove the glass, clean it, and close the wound. Saline, sterile gloves, 2-0 nylon suture, needle drivers. Shit, what can I do about the pain? I don't know how much Hydromorphone to give a grown man! Fuck it, he can handle it. _

As she gathered all of her materials, she looked up to see the Joker approaching the surgical table slowly. He stepped up and sat on the cold steel surface. He made eye contact with Nora and flicked his tongue over his lower lip before laying down. Then Nora came back into the room and laid her arm-full of medical equipment onto an instrument stand. _Ah! Oxygen!_ She scurried to the corner and grabbed a small oxygen tank on wheels, rolling it up to the table. After turning the wrench on the valve with a hiss, she handed a bell-shaped mask to the Joker and said "Here this might help."

He took it and replied, "How though-t-ful."

Nora turned but stopped in her tracks when she realized that she wasn't sure what landmarks she needed to know to guide her needle. A quick internet search was her only choice. She sat on a stool and pulled up the laptop on the cart in the room, opening the browser.

"What did I say about funny business, doc?" Joker said, his voice muffled by the plastic mask.

A nervous flutter ran through Nora's stomach. "I just need to look up where to place the needle. I-I don't know that extent of human anatomy."

Joker coughed out a chuckle and rolled his head to the side, seemingly unable to deliver the punch line.

_Ok, decompressive thoracentesis. Second intercostal space, just over top of the third rib, mid-clavicular line. Got it._

"Joker," she looked to his face, his eyes where closed and he was starting to gasp with each little breath. He dropped his knife. "Joker? Stay with me!"

"Mmm," was the response she got. She had to act fast. She stood to loosen his tie and unbuttoned his waistcoat, then his shirt, carefully sliding the material over the hole in the fabric created by glass shard without disturbing it. _Second intercostal space, just over top of the third rib, mid-clavicular line._ She felt for his ribs below his right collar bone, along its mid-line. First, second, third. _There._ Joker tensed up and his eyes flew open when he felt the cold antiseptic scrub on his skin.

"Keep concentrating on breathing, ok?" Nora said as she removed gloves from their sterile package and slid them on her hands. She readied a 14-gauge catheter in her hand, "This is gonna hurt."

She pushed the needle into the skin between his ribs, at the top of his chest. A loud shout erupted from Joker's mouth while he kicked his feet and balled up his fists, but she had to keep going. She advanced the needle until she heard a *pop* indicating she made it through the chest wall. Then, she withdrew the needle, leaving the catheter in place. Joker growled in pain while she attached tubing to the catheter hub that lead to a large syringe, the two connected by an adjustable valve. She quickly pulled on the syringe's plunger, instantly drawing out air. Once the syringe was full, she turned the lever on the valve and pushed the air out into the room through the valve. Adjusting the lever again, she continued to pull air out of the Joker's chest. 60 milliliters, 120 milliliters, 180 milliliters, 240 milliliters. Nora kept pulling out air until Joker suddenly gasped and his chest expanded, his lung re-inflating.

"AHH!" he growled, sneezing his eyes shut and twisting his face with agony. He started to breathe deeply, pulling in as much air as he could with each inhale. He sounded like he just ran a marathon. Then he opened his eyes and started to laugh, "WOO-ha ha HAA!" His cackling died down to a giggle before going quiet, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

A toothy grin still pulled at his cheeks as he turned his head to look at Nora. She had stopped pulling out air as soon as she felt resistance against the syringe's suction and was standing at Joker's side, the device in her hands. She carefully placed it beside him, the tubing still connected to his chest, and ripped the stethoscope from around her neck. She listened closely, the sweet sound of air rushing in and out met her ears. Nora sighed and let her eyes close with relief.

Both of their breathing slowed and their gazes met. "Ow! Ha ha ha! See, I knew you had it in ya, doc," Joker said with a smile.

Nora couldn't help but smile too.

Song for this chapter: My Iron Lung by Radiohead


	3. Chapter 3: Loosen Up

**Chapter Three: Loosen Up**

The Joker inhaled deeply, as if savoring his returned ability to do so. Still laying on the table, he craned his neck, trailing his eyes down to the tubing coming out of his chest and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He licked his lips and stated, "Now I've seen a lot of things, don't get me wrong, doc. But I've never seen that." He pointed to the tubing. "You know how to inflic-t some paain," he said.

Nora felt the blood rush to her cheeks. _Why am I blushing? Is he impressed?_ She wasn't sure how to respond to that. Joker had a knack for locking her up with his words.

"Um, thank you," she replied, staring at the floor. _World's biggest idiot award goes to Nora Hawthorne._

The Joker responded with a barking laugh, startling Nora. "Aren't you an interesting one, doll?" he said, after recovering from his hearty chuckle that ended with a deep cough and a pained growl.

Again, she was unsure of how to respond to that. With the rush of excitement wearing off, Nora nearly forgot about the glass still in Joker's side, the cause of this whole mess. She snapped her head up. "We still need to get the glass out. And, um, you probably shouldn't move too much, there isn't anything holding the catheter in place," she cautiously told the Joker.

"Whatever you say, doc," he said, laying his head back down.

Nora was puzzled. She wasn't expecting him to be so… cooperative. Especially after she just essentially stabbed him in the chest. Wasn't he supposed to leap off the table and strangle her?

"Uh, o-ok. Well, this is gonna hurt again," she said, putting a surgery mask over her face and preparing to change her gloves.

"Wouldn't want to make things too eeaasy," Joker growled, his voice dropping an octave as he spoke. She could feel his dark gaze on her, giving her goose bumps. This made Nora anxious. Her hands started to shake as she set up her tools on the instrument stand. "You look nervous. Do I make you nervous? Hm?" he asked, softening his voice with sarcastic concern.

Nora couldn't stop herself. "Yes." She responded without moving her eyes from the stand in front of her.

Joker propped himself up on his elbows. "Look at me." Her eyes widened but remained fixed downward. She felt like she was going to vomit. "Hey. Look. At. ME!" he shouted. Nora's gaze flew upward and she whisked her head around, looking him in the face. His chin was tilted down and eyes rolled upward at her.

"No need to be nervous, doll," Joker said. His expression quickly morphed into a smile and he clicked his tongue against his teeth before laying back down. Nora just stared at him, mouth open. His rapid change in behavior was enough to give her whiplash. She blinked her eyes a few times and cautiously got back to her task. _Ok, that was more like what I was expecting._

"Just don't get too handsy, doc."

Nora didn't know her face could turn such a shade of red and her cheeks burned hot. _Again with the blushing._ She swallowed loudly and changed her gloves.

Moving to stand beside Joker she asked, "Are you ok if I, um…" She stammered as she looked down at his chest. In her hurry to release the air from his torso, she hadn't allowed herself to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly, looking down at the infamous Joker, his upper body exposed, laying on the surgery table in her clinic made her feel like she was going to pass out. She started to quietly hyperventilate.

"Noraaaaa," Joker sang. The sound of her name brought her crashing back down to earth and she looked at him.

"H-How do you know my name?" she almost whispered.

Joker smirked and said, "Relax, doc. Your little name is righ-t there. So serious, aren't ya?" he giggled, pointing at her scrub top.

Nora looked down at the white embroidered letters below her right collar bone. 'Dr. Nora Hawthorne.' _Jesus fucking Christ, I'm so stupid._ She sighed and dropped her head back toward the ceiling, her eyes closed for a moment.

After darting his tongue out over his scars, Joker said, "You need to loosen up, toots. I'm not gonna hurt ya." Oddly enough, this actually made Nora feel a bit better. That didn't last long, though. What would stop him from killing her once she fixes the wound? The Joker has already proven how unpredictable he can be. But she needed to know.

"How do I know you're not going to kill me after I stitch you up?" she asked.

He leaned toward her slightly and locked eyes with her. "I'm a man of my worrrd," he said, licking his lips. What could she do? He would probably kill her if she didn't fix the wound at this point. She reached for a sterilized metal bowl and gauze squares she had unwrapped along with a bottle of saline. After pulling off the cap, she poured the clear liquid into the bowl. _I'll fix him, but I'm not gonna 'loosen up.'_

As soon as she finished cleaning the surrounding skin and positioning blue surgical towels around it to make a sterile field, she turned to the Joker and spoke. "After I pull out the glass, more air is going to get into your chest, maybe a lot at once. So, when it does, you'll need to draw it out while I stitch up the hole. I won't know how much damage there is until the glass is out."

His eyes lit up and a sly grin formed on his face. "Ohhh now we're talkin'," he growled and picked up the syringe. He handled it in a remarkably delicate manner. Nora thought he'd be like a bull in a china shop, chaotic and destructive. But instead he held the device with the touch of an artist or a musician, controlled and deliberate.

She pointed to the valve connecting the tubing and the large syringe. "That is a three way stop cock, the little lever controls the valve. It closes communication between the port its turned to and the others, leaving the remaining two open to each other." Joker carefully held it up to the light as she spoke. "So, turn it toward the empty port to pull out air from your chest, then turn it toward the tubing to push the air out into the room once the syringe is full. Turn it back to the empty port to pull more air out, and so on. Stop trying to pull out air if you feel resistance. And don't turn it toward the syringe, that'll just let air into your chest."

Joker chuckled. "It does ex-act-ly what it's supposed to. I like that," he said as he inspected the gadget and turned the lever between the port and tubing a few times.

Nora smiled. It always felt good to teach someone something. Even the Joker, of all people.

She turned on the bright surgical lights and prepared a square of gauze in her hand. "This is going to be painful. Are you ready?" she asked him.

He leaned over and plucked a tongue depressor from a jar on a nearby cart and bit down on it. "Do it," he muttered from around the flat stick.

Nora grabbed hold of the glass with the gauze and gently pulled. Joker roared in agony and his muscles tensed, clenching down on the wood in his mouth. She continued to put steady traction on the shard and soon had the glass free from his flesh. Blood erupted from the wound, dripping down his side. After throwing the glass onto the table, she pushed a stack of gauze against the bleeding tissue and held it there. The Joker's groans started to die down and his panting slowed.

Nora shifted her eyes to the glass shard she had pulled from the Joker's body on the table. It was about two inches wide, a couple of millimeters thick, and maybe five inches long. Only a quarter inch of that length had made it through the muscle layer and into the Joker's chest, dead center between his fifth and sixth ribs. It probably didn't damage his lung. _Wow, that's lucky._ Now she had to stitch up the wound.

"Ok, you're doing great. Now I'm going to remove the gauze and inject some numbing agent into the muscle before I close you up, it will sting. With the wound uncovered for a while, enough air will get in that you'll probably start to have trouble breathing so use the syringe when you do."

"He he ha ha! Oh doc, you really are ruthless," Joker giggled.

Nora chuckled a little behind her mask. An unfortunate part of practicing medicine is it sometimes involves causing pain. She reached for a syringe of lidocaine with a small needle and made eye contact with Joker to tell him to get ready.

In one swift motion, she removed the gauze and pierced the needle into the red tissue. Joker hissed through his teeth as she infused a small amount of the local anesthetic then proceeded to repeat this around the edges of the wound. By the time she was finished seconds later, the Joker was pounding his fist on the table, his growls muffled by the tongue depressor he had put back in his mouth to bite down on. Nora paused to give him a break.

After a moment she spoke quietly, "I'm gonna clean it now." The cool saline-soaked gauze gently passed over the narrow slit in Joker's side, wiping away the blood as Nora had a close look. The cut's edges were smooth from the sharpness of the glass and not jagged, it should heal up fine. She picked up the needle drivers and readied the suture needle in its jaws. Air was freely flowing in and out of the wound, moving the edges in the breeze it created.

She took a pair of forceps in her other hand and touched it to the muscle to take hold of the edge. "Can you feel that?" she asked.

Joker replied, "Feel what?"

Nora smirked and started suturing the wound. She sewed with a steady hand, carefully avoiding the blood vessels and nerves running along the bottom edge of his rib. As the needle and violet colored suture passed through the flesh over and over to form a tight seal, the gap in the intercostal muscles grew smaller. Nora was so concentrated on her work, she hadn't noticed that the Joker had propped his head up on his raised arm and was watching her. Her head fixed forward, still facing the wound, she moved her eyes left once she sensed his gaze. He had a smirk on his scarred lips as he observed. He looked amused.

"Um. You doing ok?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and said, "Ohhh I'm just peachy, doll." Nora's heart fluttered.

His staring was incredibly distracting but she couldn't tell him that. She looked away and kept going, feeling his eyes on her as she tried to concentrate. At this point the smaller wound wasn't letting much air back out as Joker breathed and it accumulated, much faster this time without the glass reducing the amount of air moving in. His breathing turned into short, breathless panting once again.

"Um, Joker. Use the syringe," Nora said, not taking her eyes off of her work. Joker looked at the device in his hand and licked his lips. She could sense something, possibly hesitation. _Maybe he's nervous._ She waited for him to use it. Before she spoke to ask if he was ok, Joker turned the small lever toward the empty port and pulled on the plunger. He grimaced as air filled the syringe. He turned the lever to the tubing and pushed the air out. He kept going, grunting as he pulled and Nora continued suturing.

She finished closing his muscles and tied off the line of suture. Then she looked to the Joker, he was concentrated on removing the air from his chest, his eyes narrowed as he huffed. She lingered a moment until he opened his mouth wide to gasp loudly, his lung filling back up. He put the syringe down and laid his head back to catch his breath.

"You, uh, done torturing me yet, doc?" Joker asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Nora's deep rooted sarcasm speaks before she can think sometimes and she responded, "No."

This fortunately made Joker laugh heartily before he said, "Well then, by all means, uh proceeed," his tone of voice high and jovial. He propped himself up on his elbows.

Glad she didn't seem to be on thin ice after her last comment, she cautiously replied, "Now that the muscle layer is closed, you shouldn't get any more air in your chest but keep the syringe ready just in case. I need to suture your skin and I can't numb it because I don't want to damage blood supply, there are fewer vessels than in the muscle. So, um, its gonna hurt again." She looked to Joker, worried what his response to her hurting him again was going to be.

"Smart one, aren't ya?" he replied. Her eyes went wide. _What?_ _Was that a compliment?_

She blinked and stared at him. This whole situation was just so strange. Nora just saved the life of Gotham's most notorious criminal, she was sitting by his side while he laid on a metal table nearly half naked, and now he was paying her a compliment. Well, she thought he might have.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered.

Joker nodded. "Mmmmhm," he hummed, without breaking eye contact and remaining straight-faced. Nora hoped her mask was hiding the flush forming over her cheeks for the third time that evening. She tried to push through it. _Alright, focus. Skin closure._ Now that the first layer of tissue was closed, it needed to be cleaned again. She reached for the bowl of saline and filled a syringe with a curved tip. Using her other hand to block the splashing, she sprayed a strong jet of the solution at the wound to flush out any debris. After repeating this a couple more times, she looked up to see if the Joker was watching her, indeed he was. They remained silent as she moved on to securing a fresh needle and suture in her needle drivers. She put her hand flat on his chest in preparation for suturing the skin with the other. His skin was so warm. Blood rushed to Nora's ears and her pulse sped up. His chest steadily rose and fell with each breath as he watched her. She was stuck and couldn't move, her hands were burning. Seeing him like this just made him so human. She didn't want to see him that way. She wanted to see him as a monster, like everyone else. But now she couldn't. The Joker was a human who bled, breathed, twitched. She just didn't know what it was inside him that made him able to do all of the merciless things he had done.

Her trance was broken by Joker clearing his throat. She turned to look at him. He raised his brow and tilted his head to the side. "Oh, shit. I-I'm sorry," she murmured and quickly averted her gaze. _A vertical mattress pattern ought to do it. _She took a deep breath and stuck the needle into his skin. He flinched and grunted.

She continued her suturing. Then, Joker broke the thick silence hanging over them. "So, Noraaaa. What's an inteli-gent doc like you doing working in a place like this? Hm?" he asked, flinching slightly with each pass of the needle through his skin.

Nora gulped. _Small talk? Really? Just don't piss him off._ She inhaled and replied, "Well, I owe a lot of money for my schooling… and there haven't been a lot of clinics hiring for a while now."

He tilted his head forward as he spoke, "Ahh, likely cause of little old me causing a, uh, fuss."

She slowly turned her head to look at him. "Um, maybe." _What happened to not pissing him off?_

"Well, my dear doctor, I think you deserve better," he said.

Nora wasn't sure how much more of these mind games she could take. "W-What?" she nervously asked.

Joker giggled and said, "Don't you worry doc, you'll see."

_Oh shit, oh fuck, I knew this was a bad idea. Didn't exactly have a choice though, did I?_ As she thought about it, she wasn't sure whether to be worried or not. She did save his life, after all. Would he do something horrible to her after that? He might. But he might not.

"Can you tell me now?" she asked.

He let out a wheezy laugh and replied, "Oh no no no, that would ruin the surprise-ah."

She shuttered quietly and sighed, taking off her mask and gloves, then removing the blue towels. She was finished suturing his skin. She decided it wasn't worth panicking now. What's done is done, there really wasn't anything she could do to change that. She treated the Joker's wound as best she could and just had to hope he hadn't decided to kill her over it for some reason. She wasn't going to give him one. _Kill them with kindness, is that what they say?_

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Tip top, doc," he replied. His respirations appeared normal. He looked down at the stitches in his skin. "Ahh, be-au-tiful job, doll!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms out to the sides.

Her heart fluttered again. This whirlwind of emotions was really wearing on her.

"Good, um, we can pull out the catheter then," Nora said nervously. She stepped toward him, her heart pounding in her ears. He was resting flat on his back again with his hands tucked under his head, like he was lounging by the pool on a sunny day. He grinned at her. _Dammit, he isn't supposed to be funny._ She picked up some gauze squares, her hand shaking. These waves of anxiety just kept washing over her without warning. She bit her tongue in an effort to clear her head, focus on something else. She knew Joker could sense her unease, she just hoped he wasn't going to use it to his advantage. She got closer. Then, Joker suddenly yelled, "BOO!"

She gasped and jumped back. Hysterical laughter erupted from the Joker as he rolled onto his side, wincing in pain from the howling shaking his chest. Once his cackling died down, he wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Didn't I tell ya to loosen up, doc?"

Nora was furious. _Loosen up? Again? That's easy for you to say, clown._ She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She had to regain her composure. Anger toward the Joker would not be met with anything good. Once her pulse slowed, she opened her eyes to see the Joker, now sitting up and facing her. He grabbed the back of her neck, bringing his nose inches from hers. She could smell his strangely minty breath.

"Loosen. Up." The Joker's voice had become deep. "I don't want to tell you again, doc."

Nora felt bile rising in her throat and she spat out, "Ok! Ok. I'm loose. I'm loose."

"Goooood," he purred.

_Get it together Hawthorne._ She took another deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. The smell of mint and gun powder flooded her nose. Such a peculiar smell. Somehow, she was successful in calming herself down. She needed to stop letting her nerves get the best of her. He clearly didn't like that.

Joker sat on the edge of the table and stared at her as she dropped her gaze down to his chest. His eyes followed her hand to the place where the tubing was coming out. With one hand she held the gauze up to it as the other pulled the tubing, the inch and-a-half long catheter coming with it. She tossed it behind her then swiftly moved the gauze over the spot and held pressure, her other hand now on his shoulder to brace herself as she pushed.

Nora kept her head down, looking at her hand as she pressed on the Joker's chest. Then, her eyes started to wander. She noticed the lean muscle making up his upper body. His arms looked solid. She could feel the strength beneath her hand on his shoulder. Her gaze then traveled up his neck, then to his chin, and stopped at his scars. They were so deep and rough. Whatever made them was probably dull and the blood loss had to have been significant. They're so violent. She wondered if he had made them himself. But is it physically possible for someone to do that to themselves without stopping? She couldn't fathom the pain he must have been in.

"Wanna know how I got 'em?" She saw his lips move as he spoke and darted her eyes up to meet his. They were brown. She slowly nodded her head.

Joker kept his eyes on hers as he spoke. "When I was nineteen I got involved in a gang. We frequented underground casinos to count cards, blackjack. We got reeaal good at it. We made tons of cash. This did not go unnoticed and the owners didn't like it. Not at aalllll. One night, at a place we'd been before, the owner was informed that the punks who count cards had arrived. He decided to welcome us with a brutal beating from his goons before he showed up. He looked at me and he laughed. He held a knife in his hand and he said, 'Ya know kid, you really ought to smile more. You're a rich man, after all.' Next thing I knew, I was being held down with the blade in my mouth before he tooorrre it open."

Nora blinked. "Is that true?" she asked.

"What do you think, doll?" he said, leaning in even closer.

She lowered the gauze in her hand from his chest. "I-I don't know," she said. _Probably not._

"Believe it or, uh, don't, toots. That's for you to decide," he said before flicking his tongue out over his scars.

He remained sitting on the surgical table, his shirt and waistcoat open, tie flung to the side. The room was a mess. Blood ran down the side of the table. Used gauze and gloved were strewn across the floor. Needles, suture, syringes, and tools littered the table. Nora blew a puff of air out of her cheeks and rubbed her forehead before slumping onto the stool. She was beyond exhausted.

Joker clapped his hands together and hopped to his feet, stirring Nora from her daze with a jolt. "Job well done, doc," he said, picking up the glass that used to be between his ribs and looking it over. He handed it to her, "A souvenir, hm?" She stared at it as the Joker began buttoning his shirt.

"Thanks," she said, standing up to face him. "You seem to be breathing fine now so I don't think it nicked your lung. It was also a pretty clean wound and I flushed it well so I don't think it'll get infected but watch it for swelling. Also the stitches in your skin should come out in ten days," she told him, her eyes half lidded with drowsiness.

"Oh I'll be back for a follow up, doll," the Joker said, flashing her a smile. Nora didn't have the energy to be surprised anymore. Nothing she could say would change his mind anyway. She just hoped that wasn't a threat but she was too tired to tell.

She quietly replied, "O-Ok, I suppose I'll be expecting you."

He smiled.

Nora left the bright room, heading back to the treatment area with Joker close behind. Before reaching the table where his purple coat was waiting, they came to an abrupt halt. Joker swung his arm around her, pulling her back to his chest, his knife back in his hand. Her heart rate shot up and she felt the blade pressed gently against her throat.

He brought his face next to hers. "It goes without saying, doc, that this little inci-dent stays between usss," he growled in her ear.

"I-I won't tell anyone. I promise," she said slowly, trying to keep herself calm.

Joker suddenly released her, then turned her around by her shoulders to face him. "Ah, good," he said tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. Nora let out the breath she was holding as Joker stepped away from her to retrieve his coat. After putting it on, he headed for the door that lead out to the dark alley.

Nora spoke up before he turned the handle, "Joker?"

"Hmmm?" he hummed.

"Get some rest," she said, arms at her sides.

"You too, doc," he said before turning the handle and disappearing into the darkness.

Nora's head was spinning, trying to understand everything that happened. Her thoughts swirled around, bits and pieces flashing into focus. She couldn't make any sense out of it and it was making her dizzy. She needed sleep and there was no way she was going to be able to get home like this. Tomorrow was Sunday, the clinic would be closed for the day. She rolled the spare overnight cot out from its corner and opened it flat in the treatment room. Before kicking off her shoes, she switched off the lights, casting the room in a dim red glow from the exit sign overhead. Sleep carried her off as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Song for this chapter: Drumming Song by Florence + The Machine


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise

**Chapter Four: Surprise**

Nora awoke the next morning with a start. She gasped and sat straight up on the cot, looking at her surroundings in confusion. She quickly stood up and turned on the lights. The trail of bloody gauze and abandoned desk chair brought the memories of the night before flooding back into her mind. _Ugh, so it did really happen._ She didn't want to risk anyone finding a trace of evidence left behind from what had transpired. She had to clean thoroughly.

_Well, I guess I'll get the bleach._ Nora pulled her hair into a small ponytail, donned a pair of gloves, and started cleaning. After scrubbing the treatment room floor and the radiology machine, she made her way into the wrecked surgical suite. She picked up everything disposable and stuffed it in a biohazard bag, then she went to grab the metal tools from the stand. The glass shard she pulled from the Joker's chest was glistening in the light, dried blood painting its sharp edge. She stopped and picked it up. It was unbelievable. A Gotham city veterinarian successfully treated it's most notorious criminal for a pneumothorax and open chest wound by herself, in the middle of the night. Then he left, leaving her without a scratch.

A shiver ran down Nora's spine. She remembered Joker's so-called 'surprise' for her. Possibility after horrifying possibility ran through her head. Would he make her life a living hell? Or would he actually give her something she needed? _Just keep your head down and don't attract attention. _The cops were not an option. The Joker wasn't the only one who was true to his word and she didn't trust the GCPD anyway. They claim to keep the citizens of Gotham safe but were known for using excessive force and biased profiling practices.

She thought it through as she scrubbed away the Joker's blood from the surgical table. Maybe she could flee the city. But she had no living relatives and not enough savings to make it possible. What about hiding? But where could she hide? Joker probably knew this city better than everyone anyway and she certainly didn't want to get anyone else involved, that would get messy. Or she could wait for the Joker. She could wait and be ready for him. If he was going to hurt her or even kill her maybe she could fight back. She had access to drugs that could kill. The thought of using them on someone made her feel sick but she couldn't just leave herself defenseless and she had never used a gun before. Plus, buying a gun wasn't a great way to lay low.

By the time the metal table was spotless, without a hint of DNA, Nora had made up her mind. She was going to go on about her business, like nothing happened and wait for Joker to find her. She'd keep a syringe of Pentobarbital, primed and ready to go, with her at all times and if danger reared its ugly head, she'd sink the needle deep into his thigh and push the plunger. She didn't want to kill him, though. After everything that happened last night, she felt strange. It was a feeling of both dread and anticipation. It tied her guts in knots. It wasn't clear why she felt this way but it seemed like she was drawn to him. A carefree sense of freedom seemed to emanate from him and it was contagious. It was that dark desire to drop everything and fuck the world that fucked you right back. No, that was crazy. She shoved that feeling away and buried it deep, to suffocate in the back of her mind.

Before leaving the sanitized room, Nora carefully wrapped the bloodied glass in a small rag and tucked it away in her pocket. _A souvenir._

After scrubbing the used instruments and disposing of everything in the biohazard bin, she stopped and stood in front of her locked drug box. Her heart pounded as she stared at it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys, her hand shaking. She bit her lip and jammed the little key into the lock. The lid of the box flew open and she grabbed the bottle of noxious liquid. Slowly, she stuck a needle in the bottle and drew out five milliliters. _That should be plenty._ Once she had replaced the cap on the syringe and slipped it into her sock, she headed for the door.

Nora locked up and finally made her way back to her apartment. Her bus ride was anything but peaceful. She felt incredibly tense. What if he was watching her now? He knew where she worked, it would be easy enough to have her followed. She eyed every passenger, trying not to look paranoid. _Deep breaths. He's not gonna do anything in broad daylight._

Twenty agonizing minutes later, the bus reached her stop. She quickly deboarded and nearly tripped over the last step in the process. _Yeah, real subtle. _The walk to her building was only three blocks. She looked over her shoulder every thirty seconds or so until her hand reached for the front door handle of the old six story building. After making sure she hadn't been followed inside, she stopped in the lobby. Elevator or stairs? She lived on the sixth floor. It was much more likely that she'd run into someone, maybe someone she didn't want to run into, in the stairwell but on the elevator she'd be trapped. She'd just have to make sure she rode the elevator alone. Her finger pressed the button and she bounced on the soles of her feet with impatience. The door opened and she practically ran inside. She frantically hit the button to close the door over and over, her stomach doing somersaults. _What if he knows where I live?_

"Wait! Hold the door!" a voice called from the lobby. Nora knew that voice. It was her neighbor, Leann. She groaned in frustration and stuck her foot out to catch the door as it slid to close. A red-haired woman balancing a toddler on one hip and a bag of groceries on the other came rushing in. "Ah, Nora! Thank you," she panted.

Nora forced a smile, "No problem, Leann. Can I help you with your bag?"

"You're such a sweetheart! Nah, that's ok, I never make it to the gym so this is the only form of exercise I get!" she chuckled. "How are you?"

Nora was in no mood for small talk but she had to act natural. "O-Oh I'm good. Just enjoying my day off," she lied.

The woman looked confused. "Oh, I assumed you were working since you're in your scrubs," she said, gesturing to Nora's wrinkled medical attire.

She looked down. _Ah shit._ She let out an awkward laugh and said, "Ahh well I had an urgent case come in last night so I slept at the clinic, didn't want to take the bus late at night."

A look of sympathy fell over Leann's face. "Aw babe, I'm sorry you have to work so much. Worth it to save lives though, right?" she said.

Her heart leapt into her throat and Nora tried to keep up her fake smile as she responded, "Y-Yeah, definitely!"

The elevator door mercifully opened to their floor and the two women exited into the hall. Once they reached their doors, across from each other, the little boy in Leann's arms began to hiccup and cry. "Well dear, duty calls. Get some rest ok?" her neighbor said, turning the key in her door. It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through Nora's body.

'_Joker? Get some rest.' _

'_You too, doll.'_ His voice echoed in her ears.

"Th-Thanks, Leann. I'll try," she said, her voice cracking. The door across from her closed and the sound of a baby's cries grew faint. Nora took in a deep, shaky breath.

Pins and needles buzzed in her hands as she inserted her key into the lock on her door. The anxiety gripping her body made it difficult to turn the handle. She slowly turned her wrist and gently pushed the door open. She stepped in. The silence was drowned out by the rushing of the blood in Nora's ears as she peered down the short hall toward her living room. She tip-toed quietly to peek around the edge of the wall. Nothing. No sign that anyone was or had been here since she last left. Warm sunlight streamed through the windows. Her eyes scanned around the small apartment, through the living room and attached kitchen, waiting to find something out of place. _My bedroom._ Her stomach dropped when she looked toward her bedroom, the door half open. She cautiously approached it. Once outside the door way, she heard a little *thump* hit the floor. Her hand shot up and she flung the door open.

"Bowie!" she exclaimed.

A petite tabby cat blinked her large eyes at Nora, swishing her tail in the air. Nora put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes, catching her breath. "Jesus Christ, it's just you. Shit, girl, don't scare me like that!" The feline began circling herself around Nora's legs and rubbing her face on her pants. "Aw, I'm sorry. I know you didn't mean it," she said as she pet bent down to pet her. "I'm glad I left extra food out yesterday. You want some breakfast?" she asked her cat. The tabby meowed loudly and trotted toward the small kitchen. Nora smiled and followed. After providing Bowie with fresh food and water, Nora sighed and put her hands on her hips. _I really need to get a grip._

Would it be so bad if the Joker showed up? He was a criminal but he didn't hurt her. He had the opportunity and he didn't. That kind of thinking was dangerous but so was what she did last night. Lost in her thoughts, she slowly paced the room. As she made her way around the counter, she noticed a small package on her kitchen table amongst the littered billing statements and envelopes. It was wrapped in brown paper and a red ribbon tied in a bow. Nora froze for a few seconds and stared at it. _Who else could have left that here?_ She warily approached the table, her pulse racing. _So he does know where I live._

Nora was suddenly overcome with curiosity and without regard for her own safety, she took hold of the ribbon's loose end and pulled. The paper over the parcel fell away to reveal a stack of money. One hundred dollar bills. Nora gasped and her eyes opened wide. Tucked under the band holding the bills together was a Joker card. She gently slid it out and held it up to the sunlight. Handwritten on the card, it read, "For my dear doctor. You work for me now."

Nora panicked. Where did the money come from? Most likely it was stolen. But where could she take it? She already decided not to involve the police and this didn't change that. She needed that money and desperation is a powerful thing. After the shock wore off, she decided to think it over and stashed it, along with the glass, away in a safe place. That was over a week ago.

For the past ten days, Nora had been anticipating another visit from the Joker. But, he hadn't come yet. Nor had she heard anything about him on the news. Things with the people of Gotham relaxed a bit and the weather cooled off, but there was still a bit of tension in the air, not like that wasn't typical for this city. She'd been thinking about what he had written on the card a lot. _My dear doctor. Work for me now. _She thought about it so much she could almost hear his voice speaking it in her head. She wasn't stupid. She knew it meant the Joker wanted her as part of his team but why? Sure, she saved him but does he need medical attention that often? Maybe he does. And why would he pay her when he could just kidnap her and force her to work for him? Or was there some other motive that Nora couldn't think of. But anyone who tried to understand the Joker was wasting their time. She just had to be patient.

It had been an easier day than usual at the clinic. She finished on time and left around seven that evening. Instead of going home to see if the Joker was there like she had been all week, she decided to wait there. It had been ten days, it was time for the Joker's stitches to come out. She hung around at a coffee shop until dark then made her way back down the alley to the side door where they first met. Time crawled by slowly. She had been waiting for almost an hour and was about to head home when she heard a breathy giggle from the shadows.

"Well, well. If it isn't doc-tor Noraaa," Joker said, stepping into the light. He wasn't wearing his purple coat or gloves and had his shirt rolled up to his elbows.

Nora thought she'd be ready to see him but the sound of him saying her name made her heart flutter. "H-Hello Joker," she replied, doing her best to remain composed.

Joker grinned as he spoke, "So formal. Call me J, doll."

She blushed. _God, why do I keep doing that?_ "O-Ok, J."

He clapped his hands together. "Ah! Much better. Shall we?" he said, gesturing toward the door and bowing slightly, like he was presenting the next act at a circus.

Nora gulped and focused on the feeling of the Pentobarbital syringe against her skin, which she had tucked into her bra for quick access, as she stared at him. _I really hope I don't have to use it._ Then, she approached the door and lifted her keys, not turning her back to him. The door swung open and she flicked on the lights.

"It's time for my follow-up doc," Joker said.

Nora's palms were sweating. She was really nervous and she had every right to be. The man in front of her had committed a litany of crimes and was labeled as a madman. She knew this but she just couldn't seem to stay away. It was a rush just to be around him. Her skin prickled with goosebumps when she thought about touching him again.

"Yeah, it is," she said as she stared down at the floor to hide the look in her eyes. Her fingers twitched and she felt a tingling in her stomach. She took a breath, put on a straight face and looked up at the Joker. He had removed his tie and was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt. She took in an soft gasp and quickly turned her head to the side to avert her eyes, rolling them up to the ceiling.

"Like what you see, doll?" he asked, not looking up from the buttons.

Her face burned bright red and her body tensed. "Um. What?" she said, her eyes still on the ceiling. _Real smooth, Hawthorne._

Joker giggled. "Relax, doc," he said, shrugging his shirt off his shoulders and tossing it onto an exam table. He hopped up to sit on the table and waited. Nora still stood with her gaze fixed upward. The Joker sucked his teeth, making a popping noise. She gradually turned her head over to look at him. They stared at each other for a moment.

Nora's heart raced as she watched the shirtless Joker slouching on the table, his hands in his lap. _Go look at the wound, Nora._ She started to approach him. She grabbed a pair of blue exam gloves on her way, not breaking their eye contact, and she slid them over her hands. There was a pounding in her ears that grew louder as she got closer. She stopped in front of him. Both of their eyes trailed down to the sutures in his skin, over the right side of his chest.

The wound's edges met in a clean, secure line. Nora slowly raised her hand and leaned in to touch it. She gently probed the tissue with her finger tips to ensure that the skin had healed together completely. It looked beautiful. She smiled at her handiwork.

"I assume tha-t is a good sign?" Joker asked, poking the upturned corner of her lips.

Nora jumped and opened her mouth when he touched her. She cleared her throat. "Uh, yes. It healed really well." She straightened herself up and opened a drawer to the side of the table, taking out a pair of suture scissors. "I can take the stitches out. It shouldn't hurt but you'll feel a pulling sensation."

"Oh I've had stitches before, doc," he replied.

_Ah fuck, that's right. His scars._ She swallowed her embarrassment and said, "Oh. I'm so sorry."

Joker darted his tongue out over his lip. "No need to be, uh, sorry, doll." Then he lightly gripped Nora's chin between his thumb and fore finger to tilt her face toward his. Her eyes opened wider and her breathing hitched in her throat. "As you werrre, doc," he said," his voice low and husky. He released her chin. Another wave of goosebumps scurried across her skin.

Nora's trembling hands removed the scissors from their sterile package and positioned them on her fingers. She turned to the Joker and said, "C-Can you lie down?"

He leaned back and rested his right hand behind his head, gazing at the ceiling. His chest rose and fell gently as he breathed, his ribs outlined beneath his skin by the surrounding muscle. _He has a nice chest... NOPE! No no no, do not go there, Nora. Focus!_ After reaching for the exam light mounted above and turning it on, Nora pulled it down to shine the light on the sutures. She brought the scissors to the first stitch and hooked the curved blade under it.*Snip*

She tugged the violet string, removing it from his skin. Moving down the line of sutures, she continued to remove them one by one. Once she finished, she laid the scissors down on the table and stepped back slightly. "Ok, done," she said.

The Joker stretched his arms over his head and sat up with a grunt. He looked down at the new scar. "Ahh, it's love-ly!" he exclaimed and leapt off of the table.

Nora felt flattered. She was always pleased when she could make a wound closure look nice and neat. The question she'd been thinking about for days entered her mind and she couldn't stop herself. "Um. Can I ask you something?" she asked as he picked up his shirt and waistcoat.

He raised his eyebrows. "Hm? What might that be?" he asked.

"Why did you leave money at my apartment?" She looked down at the floor as she spoke, trying not to stare at the Joker sliding his arms into his shirt.

Joker replied, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." He waited for her response.

"Oh! Um. Well, thank you," she said stammered, a small smile forming on her face. _I guess I am good at this._ She paused. "A-And the card?"

Joker finished with his top shirt button and stopped, leaving his waistcoat open, he walked toward Nora. He got closer, a smirk on his face. She backed up as he approached until her back bumped the wall behind her. He stood in front of her, dropping his head so that their noses almost touched. "Ahhhh well, you see, you work for me now. I need a good doc-tor around. You don't have to leave your job here just yet but you do need to have your nights free for when I'm in need of your, uh, services." He raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders as he spoke. "I told you that you deserve better, doc."

Nora stayed motionless in place, staring into the Joker's eyes as he licked his lips. She figured that was coming. For days, she had been trying to convince herself that she didn't want it. That she wanted things to go back to normal and for Joker to stay out of her life. But she did want it. She wanted to know what it was like on the other side. The side without rules, governed by chaos instead. And she wanted to let the Joker draw her into it.

"Ok," she said.

Joker's mouth curled into a smile to match his permanent one and he squeezed her shoulders. Tilting his chin up and eyes down, he said, "Atta girl." He released her shoulders and started heading for the door. "Await further instructions-ah," he said over his shoulder. Then he opened the door and was gone.

Nora stood for a few seconds, staring at the door. She had completely forgotten about the syringe hidden against her chest. She slowly pulled it out and stared at it. Then she turned to the sharps container and swiftly threw it away.

Song for this chapter: goosebumps by Travis Scott


	5. Chapter 5: Human

**Chapter Five: Human**

_My name is Dr. Nora Hawthorne and I work for the Joker._

It sounded so strange in her mind. Strange but also good. Nora had seemingly given in to a dark desire for thrills. But where did it come from? She felt trapped by the expectations of everyone around her. Every day was a new barrage of dealings with impatient, greedy, entitled people that she wished she could scream at. But that wasn't it. Nora felt something else. She felt something weird around the Joker. Like she was held by some kind of magnetic pull every time he was around her. But she wasn't ready to acknowledge what this meant yet, so she pushed it back into that dark corner of her brain.

The next day her mind was busy with questions, when she would hear from the Joker again being the predominating issue. But there was nothing she could do, she had to continue to wait with her questions unanswered. It was Wednesday, the middle of the week tends to be busy. Hopefully that will help keep her anxiety under control.

It didn't. All day Nora was jumpy and distracted. She was sitting at her desk reviewing a case file when her technician, Jamie, came to speak to her about her next patient.

"Dr. Hawthorne," he said from behind her.

Nora practically jumped out of her seat at the sound of his voice. "Ah! My God, Jamie. Yes, hi," she stammered, embarrassed about her overreaction.

The young tech's face flushed red, her embarrassment apparently contagious. He cleared his throat and said, "I have a six-year-old German Shephard here with acute blood-tinged vomiting here for you in room four."

"O-Ok thank you, I'll be ready in a sec," she replied. She turned back around and rolled her wide eyes, cursing at herself for being so jittery. _Christ, woman. Get ahold of yourself and do your job. _She stood from her chair, the chair Joker had sat in the night she met him, and headed toward her awaiting patient.

The rest of the day was a rapid fire of cases to see. A cat with an asthma attack, a geriatric Husky with congestive heart failure, a horrendous bite wound on a Doberman, a Persian cat with diabetes. Each patient came and went, getting the care they needed. Nora was still on edge but felt like it had been a good day, despite it being a busy one. No one yelled at her or her staff, everyone was fucking civil for once. She was the last one in the building and was getting ready to leave around nine at night. It was then that she started to feel some uncertainty. This uncertainty grew into a full-blown panic.

_What have I done?_ The realization of what she agreed to do came crashing down on her. She was good at her job, her life was stable. She tossed that out the window when she saved the Joker. Her life was never going to be the same. She took a few shaky breaths in an effort to calm down. This was her conscience testing her. She just had to reason with herself.

_Well, what was I supposed to do? Run? Run and call the cops?... Yes. But you didn't. You saved that man's life. A man who kills people for fun. Why?_

Nora had sunk to the floor at this point, tears in her eyes.

_You saved his life._

She felt hot droplets starting to roll down her face and squeezed her eyelids shut.

_You saved him. _

Her chin dropped to her chest. Then, her eyes flew open.

_You saved him because he was dying._

Maybe it was the look in his eyes when he tried to breathe. He was going to die and he came to her for help. Ask anyone in Gotham, they'll tell you he is an inhuman beast. Even though he didn't act like it, the Joker was a human being and he didn't want to die. She didn't want to let him die. He had a heart pumping blood, a stomach that growled, hair that grew. He was a man.

She sat straight up and took a sharp breath in through her nose.

_You're attracted to him. It scares you but you love it._

She had been trying to deny her attraction to the Joker for days. The night she met him, something stirred in her. He made her nervous. Not just because he was intimidating, there was something else. Seeing proof of his mortality right in front of her eyes was something she assumed very few people, if any, have witnessed. It made her want to know him. She knew what he'd done, terrible things. He was dangerous. But saving the Clown Prince's life was forcing her to see past all of the news stories, past the fear mongering, down to the flesh and bones. She was left with a morbid curiosity about what else made him human. What does he eat? When does he sleep? Does the Joker have sex? …. What would his scars feel like against her skin?

Nora made her quiet journey home with an expressionless face. She stared straight ahead out the window of the bus, watching the rain tap against the glass. She was trying to accept this turning point in her life. These feelings couldn't be ignored any longer, but she couldn't act on them. No way. She didn't feel it was possible that the attraction was shared. It would only set her up for severe embarrassment or even death if it pissed him off. She acknowledged them, but she had to ignore them.

The bus groaned to a halt at her stop and Nora slowly made her way out the doors, into the now pouring rain. By the time she reached her building, she was soaked. She shivered as she boarded the empty elevator and hit the button for the sixth floor. It was so quiet. Kind of an eerie quiet. Was it the weather? Maybe everyone was staying in to avoid the storm. The sound of the steel doors opening broke the silence and a feeling of unease crept its way into Nora's stomach as she approached the door to her apartment. She stopped to listen. Nothing. _You're just being paranoid. _She clenched her fist and placed her other hand on the door handle. _Its unlocked._

She took a deep, shaking breath and slowly pushed the door open. Her drenched clothing dripped on the floor, making a steady tapping noise on the wood during her slow walk down the short hallway toward her living room. The downpour of rain beyond the walls was the only other sound. It was dark inside her apartment, only a slight glow from the street light outside the window cast soft shadows around the small living room. As soon as she set foot into the room, a small desk lamp clicked on, illuminating the space around it.

"Helloo, doc," said the Joker from the old armchair in front of her. His purple coat was draped over the back of the chair and he was leaning back into the seat, one plaid-socked ankle balanced on his opposite knee. His clothes were completely dry.

Nora suppressed a yelp of surprise, recoiling reflexively at his sudden appearance in front over her. "H-Hi, um… J," she finally responded to his greeting after a pause to catch her breath.

Joker smirked at the use of the nickname he had instructed her to use. "Welll, the hard working doc has fiiinal-ly made her way home. Long day, dollface?" His eyes trailed along the rain-soaked scrubs clinging to her wet skin as she shivered.

"Um. Yeah, kind of," she replied through chattering teeth. _Am I ever going to stop being so awkward?_

"Isn't. That. Unfortuna-te," he said slowly. "Don't let me, uh stop you, doll. Wouldn't want my doctor catching a collld," he said pointing up and down at her dripping clothes.

She stayed in place, shifting her eyes toward her room then back at the Joker. "Uhh no its ok, I-I'm ok," she said as she continued to shiver. She didn't necessarily feel comfortable undressing with the Joker in her apartment, even with a closed door between them.

He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows before he said, "Uhh, no. No you're not." His voice dropped deeper as he spoke.

Heat traveled up Nora's neck and into her cheeks. Her body shook harder, this time more from nerves. She just stared at him, her jaw tight. _Fuck fuck fuck. What do I do?_

Joker rolled his eyes and uncrossed his legs before standing from the chair. He approached her with a bored expression on his face. Nora watched him close the small gap between them in a few long strides and continued to tremble, crossing her arms. He stood in front of her for a moment, looking down at her as she shook. Then, he grasped the bottom of her shirt to bring it into his glove-less hands and twisted the fabric, wringing a surprising amount of water out onto the floor around their feet. He dropped the shirt, put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around to face away from him. Nora held her breath, waiting for him to strike in some way. But instead he nudged her forward, steering her into her bedroom. Before she could turn around, he had let go of her and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

She stood blinking at the closed door. _Um. What?_ She waited. She heard nothing. Nora realized what he was trying to tell her and wasted no time tip-toeing into her bathroom to peel the soaking wet clothing from her body. She hurriedly grabbed a towel and dried herself off before throwing on a nearby pair of black jeans and a dark grey sweatshirt. After her frantic wardrobe change, she stood still and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She blew the air out through her lips and turned to the door. It was still silent. _He's here. In my apartment. With me._ She felt her heart do a flip and tried to ignore it. She had to leave her bedroom sooner or later before he came in after her.

The door to her bedroom slowly opened. The Joker was back sitting in the armchair, his shoes flat on the floor and his hands in his lap. Their eyes met as Nora cautiously entered the room across from him.

"Ahhh much better. Make yourself comfort-table, doc," he said, staring at her. She slowly moved her bare feet toward the small couch facing Joker and sat down. "So, as my newest employee, I believe your uh orientation is in order," he said, tonguing his scars. He blinked his eyes, waiting for her response. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud meow. _Oh God, not now. Bowie is hungry._ Joker narrowed his eyes and shifted them toward the sound. The little tabby cat stood at the entryway to the room with her tail in the air, confident it was her dinner time.

He turned to Nora. "What is tha-t?" he asked, pointing to the cat.

"Um, that's Bowie, she's my cat. She's probably hungry," she replied sheepishly, looking at her hands.

"Bowie?" he replied.

Nora nodded her head, looking over at the cat. Joker looked back to the creature and bowed forward, extending an open head toward her. Bowie craned her neck and sniffed at his hand. Then, she stepped her paws forward and rubbed her whiskered cheek along his fingers. The cat continued to rub her head around on the man's hand, clearly enjoying the attention. Nora almost choked on her saliva. _Ahhh Bowie what are you doing?_

Joker let out a breathy chuckle, reaching to stroke her fur. "Hah! I think it likes me," he said, amused. Nora couldn't believe what she was seeing as the criminal, a professional killer who wears face paint to scare people, pet her cat.

_She is clearly not a good judge of character but neither are you. _Nora cleared her throat, "Y-Yeah she is a nice cat but she usually hides from strangers."

"I am, uh, flattered," he said, putting a hand to his chest. _Does the Joker have a thing for animals?_ Nora didn't say anything and just stared at him, wide-eyed.

Joker feigned a look of concern and said, "What's the matter, doc? Cat got your tongue?" before bursting into a fit of roaring laughter at his own joke. Bowie was startled by the loud sound and leapt into the kitchen. Nora wasn't sure what came over her but she couldn't help it, she cracked a smile and giggled a little before trying to drop the grin from her face to hide it from him. He leaned back in the chair as his laughter died down to rumbling chuckles before stopping.

"Welll are you gonna feed it? Hm?" he abruptly asked her, licking his lip and nodding his head toward the kitchen. Nora jumped from her seat and headed to the kitchen.

"Where were we, doc?" he called to her from the chair as she quickly prepared the cat's meal. Bowie chirped a series of excited mews and hopped up onto the counter to eat. Nora rejoined the Joker in the living room and took her seat across from him.

"Um. My orientation?" she asked quietly.

Joker sat up. "Ahhh yes! We have some-ah basic etiquette to go over, doll," he said, leaning toward her with his elbows resting on his bent knees. He put up one finger, "One. Ev-ery-thing is confidential. No squealing. And I will know if you squeal." His tongue darted out from the corner of his mouth and he put another finger up, "Two. When I call, you answer." He put up a third finger, "Three. When I tell you to do something, you do i-t." He dropped his chin and rolled his eyes upward at her, a dark look in them as he stared. "Oh and I almost forgot, doc," he said as he stood from the chair and walked around the couch. He leaned in close from behind Nora, his lips right next to her ear. She could smell his musky scent and feel his warm breath on her face. Her pulse raced and she stiffened. "Have some funnn," he hummed deeply, suddenly straightening back up and walking away.

Nora let go of the breath she had been holding. She was honestly hoping for more information than that. What would she be told to do? Have fun with what? She turned to respond and saw Joker rooting around in her kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers, looking in the fridge. Bowie was watching him curiously from the counter.

"W-What are you looking for?" she asked cautiously.

Joker looked up from the fridge. "You, uh, keep any human food around here, doc-tor Nora?"

Nora blushed. "Oh, um, well I haven't really had time to go to the store lately," she answered.

He shut the fridge door and took the phone in the kitchen off its receiver. He stood at the edge of the room and tossed the phone to Nora, still sitting on the couch. "Order something, will ya, doll?" he said casually, clicking his tongue.

She caught the phone and looked at it, then back at him, then back at the phone. He switches gears so fast, he's hard to keep up with. _Am I really about to order delivery for the Joker? So he does eat._ She chuckled to herself about putting the name "Joker" on the order.

She looked up from the phone to see the Joker bent down in right front of her, his face inches from hers. "Now wha-t is soo funny, doll?" he grumbled. Nora froze and stared into his eyes. She couldn't look away. "Hm?" he hummed, tilting his head.

She had to answer. "I-I thought it was funny. Giving them your name for the order," she squeaked.

"HA!" he puffed in her face. "You are a strange one, doc. I like it," he said as he stood up and turned to sit next to Nora on the couch, leaving her as stunned as ever. He didn't seem to be familiar with the concept of personal space since as he sat close enough for their outer thighs to touch. She reacted by stiffening up again and staring straight ahead, trying to ignore the feeling of his leg against hers as her skin started to burn. Then, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her head to face him. A rush of warmth ran through her from her cheeks to her toes.

"Are you gonna dial it or wha-t?" he asked, still holding her chin.

She swallowed and answered, "Um. What should I get?"

Joker grinned. "What-ever your heart desires, my dear," he purred before releasing her chin and watching her. Nora thought about it for a second. She had no idea what Joker ate but her guess was anything. _Thai food it is, then. _She held up the phone in her hand and pressed the numbers for her favorite Thai restaurant that she had memorized by now. She took a breath and readied herself to sound normal before hitting the green button.

Running her fingers through her hair, she brought the receiver to her ear and said, "Hey Tom, its Nora. Yeah the usual, thanks. Can I get two though? Yep. Thanks, see you soon." She hung up and looked to Joker sitting next to her. He looked a little surprised, maybe confused.

"Tomm?" he asked, drawing out the name.

Nora felt a little embarrassed. She shifted to create an inch or two of space between them as she spoke, "Uh, yeah, Tom. They kind of know me at that place. I, um, I order from them a lot if I've had a long day. Which is a lot I guess."

Joker chuckled and leaned back on the couch, lacing his fingers behind his head and crossing his ankles in front of him. He closed his eyes. Nora continued to shift little by little, toward the armrest. She was having a hard time being so close to him. It made her prickle with anxiety and feel warm in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to ignore it. He cracked an eye open and rolled it toward her.

"Am I making you uncomfor-table, doc?" he asked.

She froze. "Uh. N-No," she replied, at a loss for anything else to say.

He scoffed, blowing air through his nose. Then he opened the other eye as he dropped his hands to gesture at Nora. "I know a lie when I hear one, Noraaa. Haven't I told you too loosen up before? Hm?" He stared at her and waited for a response. He didn't get one. She just stared back, her unease visible on her face. "Listen doc, let's make a deal," he continued as he turned himself to face her, popping his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "How about, if you thaw out that frozen uh demeanor of yours, I'll give you a rewar-d," he said, leaning in toward her.

_A reward? Like what?_

She blinked and replied, "Um. A reward?"

"Mmmhm. A rewaarrd," he said, his voice deepened and a grin stretched his scars.

Her mind started buzzing with possibilities. He could mean more money, but he'd given that to her already and he didn't seem like the kind of guy to make the same offer twice. What else could he have to offer her? As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the Joker take something out of his pocket and moved closer.

Nora felt his hands grab both sides of her face and she gasped, her blood running cold.

"Your rewaarrd will be keeping that beau-ti-ful face intac-t," he growled, a knife tucked into his palm as he held her in place, a scowl taking over his features. This served as a reminder for Nora of who she was dealing with. Why did it seem to bother him so much when she acted nervous around him? Wasn't he used to that? She didn't know how she was supposed to relax with a knife at her cheek. He held her there as they looked into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Her heart thumped in her chest. Then, Nora came to a realization. _Maybe he just wants to be treated like a person._

She swallowed before she spoke quietly, "Ok, I understand." She forced her tight muscles to release and sunk into the cushions under her, softening her expression. It seemed counterintuitive that being relaxed around the Joker was in her best interest, but she knew for sure that defying him wasn't.

Joker's furrowed brow raised. "That's betterrr," he grumbled before he let go of her face and leaned back, still turned to face her on the couch.

The tense moment was followed by extended silence. They just watched one another breathe. Nora tried to concentrate on controlling her body's reaction to his presence. Every time she was in the same room with him, she felt stiff. Like a deer when it knows its been spotted by a potential predator, ready to run. Not only did she feel her fight-or-flight response kick in, but an intense attraction that made her tingle all over clashed with it. This left her a trembling mess. She thought maybe she had figured out why it made Joker angry to see her show her fear of him. He probably gets that reaction from almost everyone around him, maybe he wanted to interact with someone who didn't. That person could be Nora. She had seen him at his most vulnerable, when his life was in danger, and she helped him. She knew the people of Gotham well and wasn't confident in anyone else doing the same for him.

The Joker spoke again, his tone much lighter, "Ya know doc, you've got poten-tial." Nora responded with a confused expression.

"Self controlll isn't something every one possesses. One lit-tle sign of trouble and they fall to pieces. That doesn't get anyone anywherrre," he said, shaking his head. "Youu know how to keep your, uh, head on your shoulders when things take a turn in another direction," he continued, pointing a finger up and then curving it down. "Don't let your emotions spoil tha-t." He shot his tongue out over his lip and waited.

Nora sensed something from him. Was it respect? Could it be respect? She didn't think the Joker could respect anybody. "You really think so?" she asked, suppressing a look of disbelief.

He responded by slowly nodding, keeping his eyes on her face.

She looked down at the floor before speaking again. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before."

"Tha-t is a pity," he said.

She looked up and turned to the Joker. "Um. I don't know what to say other than thank you."

Joker curled up one side of his mouth to form a crooked smile and replied, "Oh no no no, no need for thanks, doll. Just stating the facts."

"I guess working in the medical field does that to you," she said.

He shook his head, "Noooo I beg to differ, doc. People can think they are prepare-d all they want, doesn't mean they are when shi-t hits the fann."

It seemed Nora had made an impression on the Joker that night they met. Honestly, this scared her. It made her feel like she had set some expectations that she was supposed to meet. What if she couldn't meet them? She had to ask.

"What is it that you're expecting me to do? You know, working for you?" she asked, honestly.

Joker chuckled a bit, "Ahhh well that is to be determined, doc. I can't see into the future. You'll be useful, don't worry."

Nora didn't really like that answer but she wasn't going to push it. They were finally establishing some kind of rapport. Now she had to maintain a hold on her emotions, fear being the predominating one, to keep things as friendly as they could be with the Joker. _Wait._ _Did he say my face was beautiful?_

A knock on the door startled Nora and she jumped in her seat. _Oh the food!_

She leapt up from the couch and grabbed her wallet from her bag, heading for the door. Before she went down the entryway hall, she stopped. What if someone found out he was in her apartment? She turned to look at the Joker, he flashed an innocent smile at her. Another knock on the door. "Yeah just a sec!" she called toward the sound. She stared back a moment before turning to approach the door. _Fuck, I'll just answer the door._ Her hand lifted to the knob and turned it.

"Hey Jai, thanks. What do I owe you?" she said to the dark-haired teenager at the door.

He smiled at her, "Hey Nora. Fifteen will cover it. How have you been?"

Nora took a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and handed it to him, trying to keep her hand steady but failing. "Um I'm doing ok, thanks. Keep the change," she replied. She wanted to grab the bag of food and slam the door to get the poor kid out of there as soon as possible but she had to stay discreet. The seconds ticking by felt never-ending.

"Oh thanks! Here you go," the teen said, handing her the brown paper bag.

As Nora took it in her hands, an exaggerated voice shouted from the living room, "Is that the food, sweetums? I'm starvinnggg!"

The color drained from her face. _OH MY GOD._ "Uh y-yeah! I'll be right there!" she yelled over her shoulder, then turned to Jai. "Um, uh, I have a-a friend over."

He nodded his head "Oh ok, well have a good night!" he replied, almost as awkwardly as Nora.

"You too, bye," she stammered quickly before stepping back, shutting the door and locking it. Nora held the warm bag in her arms and leaned against the closed door, running through the interaction she just had with the delivery boy in her head. Could he know it was the Joker? Would he recognize his voice? No it sounded different, like one of those husband characters on a seventies sitcom. Her waning panic turned into anger. _Why the fuck would he do that? I could have gotten caught!_ She took deep breaths in and out, starting fast then slowing. Once the fury boiling inside her started to die down, she walked slowly down the little hall, back to the living room where Joker was waiting for her.

Once she was in view, Joker wheezed a series of high-pitched giggles before he said, "I couldn't resist, doll."

Nora was trying to control her hostility. Her hands were trembling. She walked swiftly into the kitchen and dropped the bag on the counter. Then she turned to him and stated, "I could have been caught."

Joker abruptly stood and walked toward her, only stopping once his face was square in front of hers, their foreheads almost touching. "So serious," he said, his breath warming her lips. They were close enough to kiss. Nora didn't dare to move, she only shifted her eyes to meet his gaze. His closeness sent waves of pulsing tingles through her body. He spoke again, "Don't be so serious." Then he suddenly stepped to the side, taking his warmth with him and sending a chill over Nora.

She closed her eyes and exhaled, almost forgetting what she had been mad about. _I thought he was going to kiss me._ She felt a little disappointed. _No, focus! _She squeezed her shut eyelids together and tried to think about anything but kissing the Joker. Old men, socks with sandals, garbage trucks, spoiled milk. Her nerves slowly dissolved away. She wasn't sure how long she had been standing there, not moving, hypnotized by her hormones.

"I'll try," she said softly, before turning around. Joker had opened the paper bag on the counter and was inspecting the contents. He took one of the containers in his hands and opened it, slanting up an eyebrow upon seeing what it held. He reached back in the bag and withdrew a pair of wooden chopsticks. Balancing them between his fingers, he scooped a large portion of noodles out of their container, tilted his head back, and lowered them into his open mouth. Nora smiled and started to quietly laugh, showing her white teeth.

As he chewed, he pointed the chopsticks at her and said, "Ah! See? That's better."

Nora continued to laugh. All of this was just so ridiculous. She now works for the most notorious criminal in the city and he's standing in her kitchen eating Pad Thai. Joker swallowed the mass of noodles and let out a small cough.

"Yeah, I like it spicy," she replied through her giggles.

Song for this chapter: Human Behaviour by Björk


	6. Chapter 6: House Call

**Chapter Six: House call**

Nora's laughs quieted down as the Joker sat up on the counter and continued to eat, stuffing the spicy food in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days. She watched him as she reached for her own portion. Her stomach growled loudly, recognizing how long it had been since she had eaten as well. She sat on the counter opposite to him and began to take small bites, then bigger bites, then she was eating almost as fast as Joker. By the time she made it through two thirds of the food, she couldn't take another bite. Tom always gave her extra large portions. She looked up from her food to see Joker staring at her. She blinked and gazed back.

She swallowed her last mouthful and extended the partially filled carton toward him. He shrugged and reached for it, taking it from her hand. In sixty seconds flat, he had downed the leftovers. _Damn, he really was starving._

_Alright, well if the goal is to be relaxed ... _She stood from the counter and went to the fridge to peer inside it for a moment. She leant down and withdrew two beers from the back. After emerging from behind the door, she tilted one of the brown bottles toward him and raised her eyebrows, wordlessly offering it to him. He let out a chuckle before grabbing it. Nora smiled and closed the fridge door. Then she retrieved a bottle opener from a nearby drawer and popped the cap off of her beer. She set hers on the counter and put a hand on the one in Joker's grip before removing the cap, letting it fall to the floor with a clink. She looked up and her eyes met Joker's. Tingles moved up her sides and she quickly let go of it. He put the bottle down and took the beer on the counter in his hand, then her wrist in the other and smacked the bottle against her palm. Curling her fingers around it, he let go, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He picked his back up and tapped the neck of the bottle against hers, then brought it to his lips as he tossed his head back to take a swig. Nora nodded and did the same.

There was a period of silence before Nora spoke up. "How does your wound feel?" she asked.

Joker stifled a burp before shouting, "She speaks!" throwing a hand in the air. "Therre's my doc-tor. Almost good as new," he said before licking the inside of his scars.

Her cheeks flushed a little. "Oh, good. I-I'm glad I could help."

"Ohh there's so much more you can do to help me, doll," he said, bouncing his eyebrows at her. Her wide-eyed expression made him laugh. "Ya did good, doc. Your talents will not go un-compensa-ted." He reached into the pocket of his pinstriped pants and pulled out a roll of cash held together by a rubber band. After hopping down off of the counter, he lifted her hand from her side and slapped the bills into it. She looked down at it, her mouth hanging open. _No one has ever paid me this much for anything. _

Joker drained his beer down his throat and left Nora in the kitchen, staring at the money, to retrieve his coat from the living room. He picked up the coat from its place on the back of the chair and brushed some cat fur off of the heavy garment before he slipped his arms inside.

Pulling his gloves over his hands after fishing them from his pocket, he said "Tomorrow. Be at the southeast corner of 64th and Bowery at noon."

"Ok," she replied, nodding her head. _That's in the Narrows. _She thought for a moment before asking anxiously, "What will I do when I get there?"

Joker took a small object out of his pocket, it looked like an old pager, and pressed a button on the side of it. "You'll wait for your chauffeurs, my dear," he answered. Before she could ask another question, he had moved past her on his way to the door. He clearly didn't want to give her any more details ahead of time. Nora followed him to the door. _Wait, how is he going to leave without being seen? How did he even get in here?_ Once at the door, he knocked on it twice, perplexing Nora further. A large man in a black leather jacket opened the door and nodded to Joker. "Until next time, doc," he said before exiting her apartment and disappearing down the hall faster than she could respond.

Nora stood in the doorway, staring down the hall Joker had just departed. It didn't take long for her tendency to ask herself questions she couldn't answer to take over as she stepped back inside and closed the door. Chauffeurs? So someone was going to meet her to take her somewhere tomorrow? Where were they going to take her? She presumed wherever the Joker lives, or hides out, or whatever you would call that. _Ah shit, what am I gonna do about work? I'm scheduled for walk-ins tomorrow. _She had never called in sick before, she just went to work sick. She needed the money. But now, she had plenty of that. _Moore can get off his ass and cover for me._ She had given so much of her life to her boss by that point, she didn't feel guilty for playing hooky. She was going to get up first thing in the morning and call the clinic to tell them she was too ill to come in. She had to be in the heart of the Narrows in twelve hours. Sleep wasn't going to come easily but she had to try.

She went through her nightly routine of brushing her teeth and washing her face. Her exchanges with Joker were replaying in her head over and over as she did. It seemed like he was being sort of… nice to Nora. She was trying not to read into what he said or did that night too much but she couldn't help it. She couldn't deny that she wanted him to like her. The thought felt silly so she shook her head and continued to get ready for bed. Before crawling between the sheets, she stopped in front of a desk in her bedroom. She stared at it for a moment then retrieved a key hidden in a book from her bedside. The key unlocked the desk drawer which held some documents along with the stack of money Joker paid her last week and the glass from his side she had tucked away in a small towel. Her hands gently picked up the bundle and unwrapped it for her to take the shard and hold it to the light. The dried blood shone red along the edges. It's funny what a piece of glass started.

The next morning, the sun began to shine through the white curtains over Nora's bedroom window. She had already been out of bed for an hour by then. Her nerves woke her up and didn't allow her to go back to sleep. She was definitely anxious, but excited too. What exactly was going to happen that day was a mystery to her. She actually wasn't sure if she should have been excited, but she was. Being around Joker made her feel something strange and she liked it. Nora had seen herself as an average Gotham woman, with an average live, from an average home and now, she was suddenly no longer average.

The more she thought about it, the more her fear and her anticipation battled each other in her head. She was sat at her kitchen table, bouncing her leg nervously. The idea of walking into the Narrows on a random afternoon to meet some unknown people terrified her. But she didn't like the thought of what would happen if she didn't show up either. There was also the possibility that she would see Joker again that day. That idea triggered a whole host of reactions within her. The coffee she was drinking probably wasn't making matters better but she didn't function well without it. After calling in to work with a very convincing stomach virus story that would make no one want to be anywhere near her, she paced her apartment until finding her way to the chair where she currently sat. It was eight in the morning, four hours until she had to be at the meeting point. That seemed ages away and she had way too much nervous energy to continue to sit in her apartment so she decided to take a walk.

Last night's storm was long gone, leaving behind a cloudless blue sky over Gotham and the air significantly cooler. Despite the good weather, there weren't many people out besides Nora. She wandered aimlessly down the Midtown streets, looking for something to occupy her time. Her anxiety level was still running high and expectation weighed heavy on her as she walked. She wasn't sure if she was ready. After a few more blocks she decided she really needed to blow off some steam, clear her head, so she headed for the gym. She arrived at the local boxing gym in no time and made her way to a punching bag in the back corner after a quick change at her locker, her hair in small pigtails.

Long white tape stretched across her knuckles to protect the thin skin and headphones filled her ears with loud music. She shot a few practice jabs in the air. Then, her knuckles collided with the heavy leather bag, *smack*. Each thrust of her fists sent shockwaves back up her arms as they released their energy against the material. It felt great. She was a bit out of practice, she hadn't been to the gym since she met Joker. She had been spending too much time inside her own head instead. Boxing was her way of letting out her frustrations as well as staying in shape, her job could be physically demanding so some toned arms came in handy. Getting into the music, she shifted her weight and swung her leg up into the bag, sending it swinging backward. She continued to inflict her punishment upon the suspended punching bag without mercy until sweat ran down from her brow and she stopped to catch her breath. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. A small smile formed on her face as she panted with her hands on her knees. She was ready.

Nora made her way back to her apartment and took a shower to wash her workout away, steam flooding her bathroom. The ritual of breaking a good sweat then taking a hot shower was always relaxing for her. It really brought her down to earth and cleared her mind. She hadn't forgotten the many scenarios in which things could go wrong for her that day, she just felt more prepared for them. Stepping out of the humid room, she searched for something to wear. Something presentable but she didn't want to look like she was trying too hard. _Why do I care?_ She ended up settling on a pair of dark blue cuffed jeans and a tucked-in black shirt with sleeves that went down to her elbows. She looked in the mirror, the person she still recognized despite her new life choices stared back at her and blinked. She thought about putting on a bit of makeup. _It's not a goddamn date, Nora._ But she wanted to be confident and being happy with one's appearance was important for confidence, right? _Alright, just a little bit._ She sighed and reached for a tube of mascara, applying a light coat to bring out her lashes. Next she swiped some nude colored gloss over lips and tucked her short brown hair behind her ears, sliding bobby pins in to hold it there. Looking from the mirror to the clock in her bedroom, she saw it was time to make her way to the Narrows. She stopped for a moment on her way to the door and turned to her work bag, withdrawing a small can of pepper spray and putting it in her pocket. It was muddy out after the heavy rain yesterday, so she slipped her lace-less black leather boots, already covered in a thin layer of muck, onto her feet. "Wish me luck," she said to Bowie before taking a black hoodie off of the hook and closing the door behind her.

The subway was the quickest way to that part of town. The cars surfaces were strewn with a variety of graffiti, some gang tags and others expressions of some of Gotham residents' feelings about the police force or Wayne Enterprises. Needless to say, they weren't polite. The Wayne conglomerate wasn't viewed in a good light by those of lower income in the city. The company brought money into the city, but only for those who already had it. The gap between the haves and the have nots in Gotham was a wide one. As the train got closer to the stops for the Narrows, fewer and fewer people remained abord, Nora being one of them. She put her sweatshirt on, pulling the hood over her head. The car screeched to a halt at the Bowery stop and she stepped through the doors onto the filthy platform. _11:47 am. _She took a deep breath and marched up the stairs toward 64th avenue. She kept her hands in her pockets and her head down as she walked. She had been to the Narrows before but it had been a few years and things were worse. She saw a young guy passed out in an alley with rubber tubing tied around his upper arm, prostitutes getting into cars pulled up to the curb, broken glass and tuberculin syringes littering the ground, a man screaming obscenities to no one in particular, all occurring in the light of midday. After her quick re-introduction to Gotham's worst neighborhood, she reached the corner of 64th avenue and Bowery. Her pulse quickened as she scanned her surroundings. She didn't want to arise suspicion so she did her best to pretend to be minding her own business. _11:58 am._ At the intersection there was a convenience store, a dilapidated building with boarded windows, an old apartment building, and a bar that definitely wasn't just a bar. The next few minutes went by agonizingly slowly as Nora watched for people she had no way of identifying. Fortunately, no one really paid any attention to her while she stood motionless on the street corner with her hands in her pockets. She was starting to sweat from her brow but she didn't want to take her hood down, it just didn't feel right to show her face. Suddenly, two men coming around the corner stopped in front of her and Nora stiffened up at their presence. One man was tall and thin with dark skin and a cigarette between his lips. The other was shorter, tan, and very muscular with a blue bandana tied over his bald head. Neither of them said anything to her.

Nora didn't speak, she just stared at them with wide eyes. The taller man had a cell phone in his hand that he dialed and then held up in front of her face. A familiar voice came through on speaker phone, "Afternoon, Doc. Day two of your orientation starts now." Nora felt a surge of relief wash over her at the sound of Joker's voice, which she mentally scolded herself for. "These two, uh, gentlemen will be taking you to home base. They're harmless. Say hello to Q and Enigma," he said. Each of them nodded to her at the sound of their names.

She managed to mumble, "Um, hi" to the men.

Then Joker said, "See you soon, doll," before hanging up.

_No no no! Don't go!_ Nora looked nervously at the men, trying to keep her anxiety from showing on her face but felt that she was likely failing spectacularly.

"So you're the doctor, huh?" the tall man said. She nodded her head. "I'm Q," he said, extending a hand out for her to shake. She took it cautiously and they shook a few times.

The muscular man spoke with a deep voice, "Boss has been talking about you a lot. They call me Enigma." Nora blushed as she shook his hand as well.

_He's been talking about me? _"Uh, nice to meet you both," she replied.

"This way," said Q and they lead her around the corner to a parked car. It was an old white Mercedes. Q walked around to the driver's side and Enigma opened the back passenger door for Nora. She almost hesitated. Her subconscious was screaming at her to turn around but she blocked it out and slid into the seat. She made a commitment to a strange man that had a strange influence on her.

The car started and they were off to their anonymous destination. The drive went on for ten minutes or so, passing more condemned buildings and a couple of strip clubs. Nora pulled her hoodie off. She was relieved to be in a car and not out on foot anymore, even if she didn't know the driver. So far the men had been silent and hadn't made any effort to intimidate her. It seemed like this was going too smoothly. She shifted her gaze to the rear view mirror to see Q's eyes looking back at her. She quickly looked away before he spoke up.

"You ever been to the Narrows before, lady?" he asked.

Nora swallowed before she replied, "Yeah, but it was a while ago."

He scoffed, hissing through his teeth. "Uh huh, you look like you don't hang around here. Watch your back, don't show disrespect, you'll be fine," he told her.

"Man, nobody asked you! She don't need that shit from you," Enigma said to Q. "Boss hired her, she knows what she doin'."

Q replied, "I'm just tellin' her how to carry herself around here! Boss has been talkin' her up, I didn't want the assholes scaring her off."

_Oh shit, what has he been saying about me? _Nora remained silent in the back seat.

Enigma turned around to face her and said, "Girl, don't worry about it. I'm sure you been around some air-headed dudes in your life, yeah?" She nodded. "Yeah well, dudes working for the Joker ain't always polite. Don't let 'em get to you, they can't do nothin' to you. Boss would fuck 'em up if they did," he said before he turned back around and the car fell silent again.

These guys weren't exactly what she was expecting from men working for Joker. They seemed like reasonable people. She was grateful for that. It sounded like they might be the only two reasonable people in their crew, though. Maybe that's why Joke sent them to pick her up. _Wait, did he just imply that J would protect me? _Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the tires on gravel. They were pulling up to a large, long abandoned warehouse with what looked like two floors and train tracks leading up to the back. Nora started to get nervous flutters in the her stomach. Her door was opened by Enigma and she climbed out to stare up at the building. This place was really tucked away. Around it were heaps of rusted industrial equipment and stacks of empty shipping containers. The sound of gulls meant the docks weren't far away. She followed her new acquaintances to the side door where a security camera was pointed at them. Seconds after reaching the door, there was a clicking sound and Q pushed it open.

Inside it looked like a former factory floor. Cables and pullies hung along the high ceiling in disrepair, and windows lined the upper portion of the walls. The central hall had been cleared out and now housed a variety of tables, chairs, and couches. At the back wall there was a set of stairs running up to a landing that lead to a second floor. About twenty men were scattered through the hall. A group was gathered at a table playing poker, another in front of a TV against the side wall. Some men were polishing guns and taking inventory of bullets in a corner. Others were laying on couches or pacing the floor and talking to themselves. Just as Nora was taking all of this in, the door to the second floor opened.

"Is there a doctor in the house?" Joker yelled over the activity below. He stood with his hands on the railing for a moment as everyone turned to look. Then he barked a laugh and skipped down the stairs, his purple coat blowing open in the breeze. He approached Nora and her chauffeurs with a grin on his face. She felt a rush of pins and needles move through her.

"Welcome to the hive, doc," he said, enthusiastically throwing his arms open to the sides.

A small smile pulled at Nora's lips as she replied, "Hi, J."

Joker responded by stretching his grin even wider and standing next to her to throw an arm around her shoulders. Her back exploded with goosebumps and she froze. Then, he addressed the group of men who were all watching them now. "This love-ly lady is doctor Noraaa," he began, gesturing an up-turned palm in front of Nora. "She'll be on call from this point forward. Maybe she'll help you if you find your-self bleeeding ou-t," he waved a finger around at them.

Nora looked over the men in front of her. Most of the faces looking back at her were not friendly, not that she was expecting any different. It was likely that most of them had been incarcerated for some reason or another, maybe they had even been oppressed by the law in various ways, but she wasn't in a position to judge them. She was here too, after all. She decided to keep her head down and stick close to Joker as much as she could. For now, she tried to concentrate on not showing the fear she felt.

Joker pulled her out of her thoughts when he spoke again but this time he was addressing her. "Enough with the introductions, doc. Shall we?" he said, leading her with his arm still around her shoulders toward the stairs, past the dirty looks from the men around them. "I have something for ya," he continued as they climbed the metal stairs up to the second floor landing.

"You do?" she asked, feeling her face flush.

"Mmm, I do," he replied with a deep gravelly voice, opening the door to the space beyond the dividing wall. On the other side was an sizable office-type of room. There was an old desk facing the doorway with a lamp on top and a big leather chair behind it, a large wooden wardrobe against the wall, a queen sized bed in the corner with rumpled sheets, an occasional empty crate, and piles of paper stacked alongside the desk. The desk lamp provided the only light aside from the sunlight leaking through the closed blinds hanging over the windows. There looked to be a full bathroom beyond the back wall. Nora wondered if this place even had running water. _Is this where he lives?_ She stood just inside the entryway as Joker bounced across the room and hummed an unrecognizable tune as he searched for something.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, pulling something out of a box. He approached Nora holding a black bag with a host of zippers and a sturdy shoulder strap.

He handed it to her, it was quite heavy. "What's this?" she asked as she took the strap from his hand.

"Some supplies-ah," he replied, his tongue darting out to lick his lower lip.

Nora set the bag on the ground and knelt down to unzip the main compartment. Nestled inside she found a variety of medical supplies. Needles and syringes, IV catheters, medical tape, bandages, multiple types of suture, latex gloves, gauze, forceps, a few liter bags of Lactated Ringer's Solution, antiseptic, skin staplers, an ambu bag, red rubber tubes, and just about anything else she might need as she explored the bag's pockets with a smile on her face.

"Ahh so the doctor is pleease-d," Joker purred with a smug grin before she looked up from the treasure trove of emergency necessities. She must have looked like a kid in a candy store.

"It's great, thank you," she replied, smiling up at him.

Joker clapped his gloved hands into each other as he cried, "Wonder-ful!"

Nora's butterflies in her stomach returned with a vengeance. She wasn't expecting to receive supplies for the job he hired her for at all. It was actually really thoughtful. _Get ahold of yourself Hawthorne, it's medical supplies not a bouquet of flowers._ She actually preferred this over flowers.

"That should be everything you need. Now, this is just as importan-t," he said, now kneeling so he was level with Nora. She locked eyes with him. Then he took her hand in his grip and, with his eyes on hers, he slowly stood up, bringing Nora with him.

"How are you feeling, doc? Are you nervous?" he suddenly asked.

Her pulse shot up and her face felt warm. She wasn't sure how to respond to that, as per usual when Joker caught her by surprise like that. She decided honesty was the best option. "Y-Yeah, a little."

He smirked and replied in a low voice, his eyes half lidded, "No need to be nervous, doll." He pulled her closer to him.

She could almost hear her heart pounding at this point and her breathing had quickened as well. She felt the leather of his glove moving against the skin on her hand but she couldn't look away from his face while he stared at her. He had her completely frozen in place. Nora took in a deep, shaky breath. He slid his hand over her wrist and turned it so her palm was up. A small rectangular object was placed into her hand. She looked down to see it was a cell phone.

"This rings, you answer. Got i-t?" he spoke softly. She shifted her eyes back up to meet his and nodded her head slowly. Joker flashed a little smile, let go of her wrist and stepped back, breaking their close contact. Nora felt that same twinge of disappointment that she felt in her apartment the night before, the last time he was close to her. This time the contact felt more intimate.

_What the fuck was that? _Was he flirting? Or just trying to intimidate her? Maybe both? She tried not to think about it too much, she would just be setting herself up for more disappointment. Joker was just standing there, looking at her. She had to break the silence. "Will it be you calling me?" she asked.

Joker nodded as he spoke, "On-ly me." She nodded back and put the phone in the outside pocket of the bag. The tension in the room was still so dense, it was almost hard to breathe. "You ever made house calls before, doc?" he asked.

She shook her head, "Uh, no. No I haven't."

He tilted his head up and leaned forward slightly. "Ahhh, well now you have," he said with a grin.

_What?_ Before she could ask for an explanation, Joker opened the door and left the room. Nora slung the heavy bag on her shoulder and followed, trying to keep up. They hurried down the stairs and through the main hall, heading straight for a door on the other side. He pushed it open and her ears were met with the sound of a man groaning in pain. Inside the small room there was a metal table with a bright ceiling light above it. The walls had narrow pipes running along them on either side. One man stood to the side of the table where another man with a bloody shirt wrapped around his calf was lying. Blood was running down his leg. Nora gasped and looked at Joker.

"Your patient awaits, doc," he said, ushering her into the room.

_Ok. You've done this before. This guy isn't even Joker. You can do this. _She took long strides toward the table and dropped the medical bag onto the floor to stoop down and grab a few items. Gloves, gauze, saline flush. She stood, turned to the man on the table and said, "I'm Nora. Can I look at your leg?"

He was quite pale but still conscious. He gritted his teeth and nodded. Nora put the pair of exam gloves on and carefully peaked under the shirt tied around his leg. Underneath was a roughly one centimeter wide hole in the flesh of his calf, in one side and out the other. Gunshot wound. It had been awhile since she had treated one of these but she was going to do her best. "Any other injuries?" she asked the other man standing by the table as she re-tightened the make-shift tourniquet.

"Nah, don't think so," he replied. He was quite skinny and didn't look so great himself. He pulled a flask from his pocket and took a swig, then handed it to the man on the table. Nora put a hand out to stop him from taking a drink.

"Nope. Alcohol slows blood clotting," she said. The two men looked to Joker, who was standing behind Nora.

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Doc-tor's orders."

The injured man handed the flask back and laid an arm over his eyes as Nora resumed her work on his leg. Blood was steadily draining from the wound. His baggy camouflage pants were bunched up to the knee but she needed more room. She pulled his pant leg down then firmly tore at the seam along the side, quickly tearing the fabric open from the ankle up to his thigh.

"Hey! What the fuck!" he yelled at her as he sat part way up. Joker chuckled loudly, amused by what he had just witnessed. The man slowly laid back down after remembering he was in his boss's presence.

Nora felt along his thigh with her index and middle finger for the pulse from his femoral artery. Vascular anatomy between species follows the same basic principles and she had a good idea of where to find the vessels she was looking for. The pulse was strong and regular. She looked down to his ankle and removed his tennis shoe to feel for the pulse in his ankle. It was nice and strong too and his foot didn't feel cold to the touch. First impressions indicated that the bullet didn't cause too much damage to his leg's circulation. Now for a closer look at the wound. She changed into a fresh pair of gloves and untied the fabric from his leg. Blood sprayed out from the wound, splattering onto her arms.

"Ah shit!" the man standing at the side of the table yelled as he jumped back. Keeping a cool head, Nora quickly grabbed gauze to put pressure on the bleeding and control the spray as the man moaned. There was probably a damaged blood vessel that needed to be tied off to stem its flow. She turned to speak to the man again. He was panting and starting to writhe around on the table.

"What's your name?" she asked. Even though they couldn't understand her, she typically would talk to dogs and cats while she worked on them. Why not this guy too?

He continued to scrunch his face up with pain and swallowed before answering, "Nick."

"Ok, Nick. I need to find the source of the bleeding and tie it off, ok? It might hurt and its gonna bleed. You can squeeze my arm if you want but I need you to focus on slowing down your breathing," she gently told him.

Nick took some deep breaths and replied, "Ok."

Suddenly, Nora felt eyes on her from behind. Keeping pressure on the wound with one hand, she turned to come nose to nose with Joker and inhaled sharply. He blinked at her and said, "As you were, doc."

It made her nervous to have him watching her so closely but what was she going to do? Ask him to leave? No, she just had to keep going. She took a deep breath and turned back around. Blood pulsed from beneath the gauze she had pressed against the leg. She needed her hands free to reach into the bag for more supplies. She looked to the man with the flask and said, "I need you to hold pressure for a minute while I get some tools ready."

He turned white and said, "Oh hell no, doc." Just the thought of it seemed to make him feel faint.

Only a second went by before Joker sighed from behind her and rolled his eyes. Then, after taking off his coat and gloves, he stood next to Nora and extended his finger tips to the gauze. Nora looked to his face as he made no expression, then back to the wound before she removed her hand to allow Joker to press on the flesh in her place. Nick winced and hissed through his teeth. She quickly leaned down to gather more supplies, a pack of 3-0 PDS suture, mosquito hemostats, and needle drivers. She straightened up and held the hemostats in her hand, ready to attack the impending flow from the wound. Her stance must have signaled Joker as he lifted the gauze from the hole. Blood once again erupted from the wound, even faster this time. Nick cried out in pain and grabbed hold of Nora's arm to squeeze. She had to act fast. Her eyes scanned the bright red river for its source. What felt like minutes but were only a few seconds passed before she spotted it. _There!_ A couple of millimeters into the wound, a severed blood vessel could be seen gushing blood in time with his pulse. _It must be branch off a larger artery or he would have lost more blood by now._ She braced herself with her grip on his lower leg as she aimed for the bleeding vessel with the hemostats and clamped down on the instrument. A red splatter shot across her and Joker before slowing to a trickle. Nick chuckled nervously at her success in slowing the bleeding from his leg as she let the tool hang from its position in the wound to pick up the suture and pull it from the reel. Looping the violet filament over the instrument, she turned her wrists to secure a knot with a few extra throws and pulled it tight with the jaws of the needle drivers. She took a breath and released the hemostats. No significant bleeding. Nick and his skinny friend sighed as he relaxed and laid his head back on the table.

Nora blew an exhale of relief through her lips and told Nick, "You're doing great. I need to clean the wound now before I bandage it, ok? It's gonna feel cold." He nodded and let go of her arm. She popped the cap off of the saline flush and turned the bottle over to spray a jet of saline at the wound from one side and then the other, flushing out clotted blood and small bits of loose tissue. Nick grunted, but she continued flushing until the fluid ran almost clear. Time to bandage. Nora pulled out bandage material and looked through a few pockets before, to her surprise, finding exactly what she was looking for. Silver sulfadiazine cream to help ward off infection. _How did Joker know what to stock this bag with? _Fresh gauze gently dried the skin before her gloved fingers spread the white cream over the wounds. Then she laid a non-stick dressing over the entry and exit holes and wrapped soft rolled gauze around the leg to hold them in place and apply light pressure. She pulled the bloody gloves off of her hands, turning them inside out and into each other. Then, she stretched the bundle of gloves by the cuff on her thumb and released to shoot them across the room with a *snap*. She couldn't help herself, she liked to do that after a job well done.

A clapping sound filled the room and she turned around to see Joker bringing his blood splattered hands together, clapping for her. "Ex-cellen-t job, doctor," he said with a smile.

Nora smiled back and her face warmed as she responded, "Thank you."

Joker continued, "Nicolas, the guinea pig, give him a hand." He extended his clapping hands toward the man on the table. Nora's smile fell from her lips. _Did he do this?_

"What?" she asked.

"You see, little Nicky here had never been shot before. Can you believe that?" he giggled. "So, he volunteered for a little target prac-tice."

Nora's eyes widened before her face turned into a nasty scowl. "You did this?" she asked, her voice louder than she intended.

Joker cackled loudly before he answered, "Relax, doc. He got shot doing a little recon on the Maro-nis. You just have, uh, impeccable timing."

She wasn't sure if she believed that. She wouldn't put it past the Joker to shoot one of his own men to test her, he was the Joker after all. She looked down at the floor as she thought about it. Whether he did or didn't, the wound was taken care of. Nora felt a twinge of guilt thinking about it being because of her that this man was shot. Right now, she chose to believe it wasn't. Maybe this was her trying to defend herself against her own morality. Maybe she had to do that to survive in this new environment. Her sense of compassion hadn't dwindled, though. It was still there. She didn't wish anything bad on anyone who didn't deserve it and still wanted to help anyone who deserved that as well. She decided to take this job as an opportunity to see what she could do in both worlds. Toe the line between good and bad, see what happens. She didn't have to take the full plunge into that icy water, just dip her fingers.

She finally spoke, "The bandage will need to be changed daily and he needs to rest. It'll take a couple of weeks to heal. It doesn't look like the blood supply was severely damaged but if the pain gets worse, it goes numb, or he can't move his foot, get him to a surgeon to get it amputated."

Nick suddenly sat up, "What?" the newly returned color draining from his face again.

Nora turned to him. "Don't worry, I think it'll be fine," she said with a comforting smile.

Joker giggled softly as he rolled something in his fingers and stepped toward the table. The smell of marijuana wafted into Nora's nose. Then, he put a joint between his lips to light it and take a deep inhale. "Can he have this, doc?" he asked through the smoke he now exhaled, the joint between his thumb and forefinger. She thought about it for a moment, she hadn't herd of any detrimental effects from weed on wounds or circulation, if anything it'll just relax him, maybe help with the pain.

"Sure," she replied. Joker grinned and handed the joint over to Nick who happily partook in the calming substance.

"Let's get you, uh, cleaned up," Joker said, looking down and pointing at the streaks of blood covering Nora's arms. She looked down at herself and chuckled softly.

She lifted her trusty medical bag and followed Joker out of the room as Nick's friend helped him off the table, sharing the fragrant spliff with him. They walked past the group of men who had gathered outside the door, presumably because of Nick's moaning, craning their necks to see inside the room. Nora received a number of surprised looks at her bloody arms and shirt. Not stopping to address them, Joker continued to the stairs up to his room. Once they reached the door, he opened it and held it for her. The look in his eyes gave Nora those familiar tingles as she passed him to enter the darkened room. He followed her in and closed the door behind him.

She stopped and put the bag down as Joker walked to the other end of the room, toward the door that lead to a bathroom. He turned and beckoned to Nora to follow him. She swallowed dryly and took a deep breath before stepping forward, it was like she had no control over her legs. Her brain sent out all sorts of signals, telling her how dangerous this could be but she kept walking. Joker's gaze was locked on her as she approached. He had a look in his eyes, they were dark and focused, like he was trying to control himself. Then, he disappeared into the bathroom to return with a towel as Nora finally rounded the doorway into the small room. There was an old clawfoot bathtub with a shower head fixed above it, a small sink and toilet, a wooden cabinet, and a window that had been taped over with brown paper. She heard water running and looked to see Joker running the towel under the sink's faucet. _So there is running water. _He approached her and lifted the towel to wipe the drying blood off of her. The cool towel sent goosebumps up her arms and she shivered. Joker looked at her face and stared for a moment. Nora thought maybe she'd be tired of Joker staring at her by now but she wasn't. It made her feel wonderfully tingly and her heart do flips. She always returned the stare. She took in the color of his brown eyes hidden in the black paint as they explored her face. Her trance was broken when the damp towel touched her face and she flinched. Apparently there was blood on her face that she hadn't been aware of. Or was he using it as an excuse to touch her?

Suddenly he stepped back and tossed the towel aside to run his hands under the water, cleaning the blood off of his hands. Nora's heart was racing and she found herself wanting him to touch her more. _Goddammit, no! This can't keep happening! _Her longing could only stay bottled up for so long but she could still keep it stuffed down. It was going to bubble over eventually, she knew that, but she'd figure how to handle that later. _Maybe he feels the same way…_ He did keep putting himself close to her after all. But what she might see as affection, could mean something completely different to him. It was incredible that she was still alive in the first place. She had to try to keep her distance. Nora left the bathroom to retrieve her hoodie she had stashed in her new bag, zipping it up to conceal her bloodstained shirt.

"I, um, I should get home," she said quietly.

Joker blinked. "Of course, doc," he replied in a low voice. She swung the bag onto her shoulder and watched him open the door, the light on the other side practically blinding her after spending time in the dark. She followed him out onto the landing where he whistled loudly to the men below. Q looked up and stood from his chair where he was playing cards with a few others.

"Q will escor-t you home," he said, glancing at her.

"Oh, thank you," she said. "And, um, thank you for, you know, for this," she looked down at the bag of medical supplies on her shoulder.

A small grin appeared on his face. "No thanks require-d, doll," he said before turning and going back into his dark room, closing the door.

Nora sighed heavily. Fighting these feelings was going to be harder than she thought. She quickly descended the stairs to meet Q at the bottom and they headed for the exit. On the way out, she averted her gaze away from the group of men staring at her like a hungry pack of wolves.

The ride back to her apartment was quiet. She didn't even need to tell Q where to go. At this point, that really didn't surprise her. Nora was lost in her thoughts anyway. What if Joker truly was giving her signals that he was interested in her? How could she be sure? He wasn't a normal man but when he got close to her, it felt like he was. The car suddenly stopped in front of Nora's building. She thanked Q for the ride and headed inside to make her way up to her apartment. Once inside, she dropped her new bag onto the floor with a thud. She was going to head into the kitchen but curiosity compelled her to look through everything and familiarize herself with all of it's contents. As she sifted through the items, something at the bottom caught her eye. It was a shiny new stethoscope engraved with the words "Dr. Nora Hawthorne" on the bell piece. Attached was a note written in Joker's scribbled handwriting that read, "Until next time, doc."

Nora's workout music: A/B Machines and Treats by Sleigh Bells

Song for this chapter: True Affection by The Blow


	7. Chapter 7: Fun

**Chapter Seven: Fun**

The next few days were hard on Nora. Another heat wave blanketed the city, work was busy, and she had a dull ache in her chest. Her growing attraction to the Joker was churning inside her, leaving her mind over-active and her body exhausted. This wasn't like some adolescent crush, she had obviously been through that in her life before, this was different. This was some raw and primal allure with no basis in logic whatsoever. It would be wrong to give in though, to let her desire pull her under and drown her in his mysterious charm. He was a criminal, labeled as a madman, who has killed without remorse. No matter how much she tried to reason with herself, she couldn't deny the lustful feelings were there and it was tearing her apart. But she continued on with her life. She wasn't going to let her unbridled emotions paralyze her, even though she wanted to. It would be easier to curl up in her bed all day and feel sorry for herself but that wouldn't help her at all. She didn't know what would help but at least working kept her engaged in something other than arguing with herself over whether her feelings were justified or not. She couldn't exactly ask someone for advice. _Yeah so I met the Joker and now my attraction to him is devouring me from the inside because I don't feel that I can act on it, what are your thoughts on that? _Ridiculous.

She should have left that stethoscope in the bag. Don't look at it, don't touch it, don't think about it. But she couldn't help herself and she brought it to work. Was it a gift? One would assume that it was. Assuming that, then what does it mean? Why would he give it to her? She wanted to believe it was because he felt something for her. But that something could have been pure selfish lust and Nora would have been okay with that. She'd find herself occasionally staring at the wall throughout the day, her thoughts on him with her chin resting in her hand. One of these day dreaming sessions was interrupted by her technician, Jen, while she was at work. It had been four days since she had last seen or heard from Joker.

"Dr. Hawthorne? Are you ok?" she heard from beside her.

Nora's half-lidded eyes flew open and she quickly turned her head to respond, "Hm? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

Jen stared down at her hands uncomfortably. "Well some of us have noticed that you haven't really seemed like yourself lately. You've been quiet and distracted which isn't really like you," she said.

Nora was on the brink of panic, trying to come up with a believable excuse. "Oh God, yeah I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to. Um, my uh grandmother is sick and she may die soon," she stammered.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry! That's tough. Is she too far to visit?" Jen replied.

_I love you Jen, but please stop asking questions._ "Uh, yeah, she's all the way out on the west coast."

Jen gave her a look of sympathy and said, "I'm sorry to hear that, let us know if there is anything we can do, ok?"

"Thanks, Jen. I really appreciate that," Nora said with a little smile. Jen returned the smile and nodded before walking away.

_Fuck, I'm a horrible person._ Nora's grandma died four years ago. She had to try harder to keep her internal struggle from showing to avoid attracting more attention to herself but it was already hard enough just getting through the day. Nora started to feel a little angry with herself. Why couldn't she handle this? She went through eight years of school, worked at least twelve hour days, was paying off her student dept all on her own, and dealt with the life and death of people's pseudo family members who couldn't even talk along with all of the emotional fallout that came with that on a regular basis but she was breaking down because she wanted to fuck a wanted criminal? _Jesus, how long has it been since I've gotten laid? Is there something wrong with me?_

Her time spent self-reprimanding ran out as a Labrador in an active seizure was brought back to the treatment room. "Chris, get me some vitals. Jen get an IV catheter placed," Nora called as she unlocked her drug box to grab the Diazepam.

Nora's keys jingled as she unlocked the door to her apartment while balancing a bag of groceries in her other arm. She dropped the bag on the kitchen counter with a huff after closing the door and kicking her shoes off. It didn't take long for Bowie's mews to enter the room on little paws. Nora smiled and greeted her cat before picking up her empty bowl to fill it. Then she stocked the fridge and cabinets with the human food she finally made time to purchase with her new cashflow. Before heading to her bedroom to change, she stopped at the bag Joker gave her, left sitting on the floor of the living room. She stared at it as she reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out her new stethoscope to drop it in. She couldn't keep carrying around that reminder with her. One of the staff at the clinic even commented on the fancy new device and all she could muster as a response was that it was a gift from a friend. _Sure, a friend._

_Maybe I should try to date._ Nora hadn't dated anyone in a while. She had never really found anyone that she wanted to maintain a relationship with for more than a few months. She didn't really know why, she would just get bored. But Joker wasn't boring. He was the opposite, actually. Nobody knew much about him except that he had been hell-bent on exposing Batman and harassing the Mob with no regard for any innocent bystanders. He was some mysterious, forbidden figure that Nora had gotten dangerously close to but here she was without a scratch. That closeness was intensely addictive for her and she decided she wasn't ready to give up. How close could she get without falling over the edge? This was a reckless way of thinking but something was changing in Nora that was beginning to over-power her ability to control herself. The last time she saw Joker, she told herself that she needed to keep her distance. As the days have gone by, she felt her willpower to do so shrinking. She was still staring at the bag when a noise made her jump. It was a phone ringing. The phone Joker gave her was ringing for the first time since he put it in her hand.

Nora's heart pounded and her hands shook as she reached into her pants pocket where she had been keeping it close in case it did ring. The screen read "unknown number" on the display.

"_This rings, you answer. Got i-t?"_

She hit the answer button and held it to her ear. "H-Hello?," she stuttered.

"Doc-tor Noraaa," Joker's voice on the other end said. "We have our-selves a bit of a situ-ation here that could use your expertise."

A shiver jolted through her body when she heard him speak. "Oh, ok. How can I help?" she replied.

"In fifteen minutes, a car will meet you outside your building. See you soon, doc," he said before hanging up.

Her hands were still trembling after shoving the phone back in her pocket and she tried to catch her breath. _Ok, ok, ok. This is what you agreed to do. You got this. You can handle this._ She paced frantically around the room for a moment before whipping her head toward the clock on the oven. _9:28pm._ She stopped and took a few deep breaths. Fifteen minutes was barely any time at all. But tomorrow was her off day so she didn't have to worry about getting up for work in the morning. She may as well keep her scrubs on so she wasn't going to bother changing. Her nerves were still running wild but she managed to calm down a bit. She needed something in her stomach. She hadn't eaten since lunch that afternoon. With no time to spare and her stomach too twisted into knots to accept much else, she choked down an energy bar and grabbed her medical bag before locking her door behind her to head for the elevator. Her eyes widened when she turned around to see her neighbor, Leann standing in front of her.

Nora yelped a little and flinched. "Ah! Oh ha ha! Leann, it's you. Hi," she laughed nervously.

Leann smiled and replied, "Hi Nora, haven't seen you in a while. A little jumpy huh?"

_Well that's a rude thing to say. _"Um yeah I guess. Well I gotta go, good to see you," she mumbled before rushing down the hallway.

"Bye!" Leann called after her as Nora rolled her eyes to herself.

Once on the elevator, she tapped her fingers on her thigh impatiently until the doors opened and she shoved past them to burst through the front entrance and quickly look down both sides of the street. No sign of any waiting car. Nora checked the time on the phone in her pocket. _9:33pm. _In her panic she hadn't realized that only a few minutes had passed. She puffed a sigh out of her cheeks and caught her breath. It was so quiet out. The summer sun had set and Gotham had begun to slow down for the night, but the heat of the day barely receded. The tranquil atmosphere clashed with the nervous energy emanating from Nora as she waited for her ride. A breeze blew in her hair as she listened for the sound of an approaching car. She was kicking herself for rushing down there so quickly, but she would have been doing the same thing in her apartment she supposed. _What are you gonna do when you see him?_ Her heart began to race once again. Before she could think much more about it, a black car pulled up in front of her. She held her breath as she waited for someone to come out. The driver side window rolled down to reveal Q behind the wheel. He motioned to the backseat with his head and Nora heard the door unlock. She let out her breath and opened the door to climb inside.

"Good to see ya, doc," Enigma said from the passenger seat as she heaved the heavy medical bag up onto the seat next to her. The cool blast from the car's air conditioner was a very welcome reprieve.

"Oh, hi. Um, how are you?" she replied awkwardly. She has still getting over the adrenaline rush that came over her when she thought maybe Joker would be in the car.

"Not too bad, better than Dome anyway. Guy got his head bashed," he replied

Q laughed and said "Of course Dome gets his head bashed." The two men laughed together at the irony of the situation as Nora sat silently in the backseat. _A head injury? _

Once his laughter died down, Q spoke up, "So, boss says you're a veterinarian. Animal doctor. What you doin hangin around this crowd?"

_Fuck._ Nora had been nervous about what the men in Joker's gang would say about her profession. She was used to being treated differently when people heard what the "Dr." in front of her name was for. People had even asked her why she didn't become a real doctor. She pretended it didn't bother her but it did.

"Well, I um, I need some extra money to pay my loans. School costs the same as medical school but they don't pay me as much after," she answered.

"Fuckin shame," said Enigma. "That's bullshit. I know what you did for the boss and 'aint no other doctor would do that for him."

She blushed heavily and responded in a quiet voice, "Y-You know about that?"

"Yup," he said. "Couple of wanna-be gangsters stabbed him with some goddamn glass for what he did to Gambol. Boss is alive cause of you." Nora had heard that name on the news, he was the mob boss Joker killed earlier that year.

Q interjected, "Course those guys didn't live to tell that story."

"Nah, you get in a stabbin contest with the Joker you gonna loose no matter what," Enigma replied and the men chuckled together.

Nora stared out the windshield, remembering the night she saved Joker. His body trapping her against the door, the needle plunging into his chest as he gasped for air, the sutures in his skin, how much she had touched him. She still couldn't believe she did that and thinking about it made butterflies swarm in her stomach. Now she knew someone had tried to kill him and she prevented that. Attempted murder was what brought the Joker to her and lead to the strange connection they now had. Instead of feeling remorse about being the one who allowed the Gotham criminal to live another day, she felt proud. It felt strangely gratifying to be the one that kept the Joker from dying. It almost made her feel powerful.

She finally spoke up and said, "I-I'm glad he's ok."

The sight of the warehouse up ahead brought her anxiety tingling back through her hands. Enigma carried the medical bag for her as they entered through the same door as before. About a dozen men turned their heads to look at them. This time some of them were wearing clown masks or had them pushed up on top of their heads and this made Nora feel all the more uncomfortable. She had never felt smaller than she did then, standing there in her baggy blue scrubs. She looked around quickly, trying to spot Joker. Q tapped her shoulder, startling her a bit.

"Boss is out but he'll be back soon," he said.

_He's not here?_ There she was with a group of men that she bet wouldn't hesitate to do something terrible to her, surrounded by weapons, and Joker wasn't there. Why having the man who was likely the most dangerous of them all around would make her feel safe, she had no idea.

Q must have noticed the panicked look in her eyes and continued, "Real soon, like ten minutes. He told me and Enigma to get you set up. They got Dome with them."

It felt like she could trust Q and Enigma. Joker sent them to pick her up two times now and they were actually nice to her. She sighed and nodded her head before Q lead her to a table surrounded by chairs. _Damn, it's hot in here. _Enigma placed her bag on the table and sat down as she reached in to collect a few things. Gloves, a pen light, gauze, saline flush, antiseptic, forceps, suture, and a skin stapler. She looked up from her supplies to see a few of the men staring at her. Then she shifted her eyes to make sure that Enigma was still sitting there at the table and he gave her a nod, so she relaxed a little.

"So you're the doctor," one of the men said.

_Alright, seems like that is the ice-breaker everyone has chosen around here. _She nodded her head slowly.

"You're a fucking female," he stated with a scowl as he slowly walked toward her, his hatred visible on his face. Nora started to feel her hands tremble. She felt incredibly insulted but fear won as the predominating feeling at that moment.

Enigma stood from his chair, the legs making a horrible scraping sound on the floor. "Don't be stupid, man," he told him.

The man's mouth curled into an evil smile and he clenched his hands into fists at his sides before replying, "What's it to you, asshole? The bitch doesn't belong here and she needs to learn that."

Suddenly, the door to the back room swung open and slammed into the wall with a bang. "I'm sorry, she's a what?" said Joker, putting a hand to his ear as he craned his neck and walked toward them. The man stiffened up and just stared at him, his eyes wide. "I couldn't qui-te hear you," he growled in the man's face, now standing over him with his eyes burning into him.

The frightened man just opened his mouth as his body shook violently. The room was deadly silent. "Hm?" Joker hummed with raised eyebrows and continued to stare him down. "Well it seems our, uh, man here has lost his ability to spea-k," Joker spoke up to the men around them but kept his eyes locked with the man's. "What unfortun-ate last worrrds," he said before jamming a knife upwards into the bottom of his ribcage. Joker held him up for a moment as he gurgled before letting him drop to the ground, dead.

Then he turned around with a casual expression on his face before saying, "Oh I'm sorry, I just had to deal with a litt-le pes-t." A few men jumped to action, picking up the body and carrying it off to dispose of it.

Nora just stood there staring at the floor where Joker just killed that man. She was familiar with death but had never seen someone killed in front of her before. She was shocked to say the least. She didn't know the man other than him threatening her just moments before. Did he deserve it? It was clear he was a misogynist and may have even killed her over it so maybe he did deserve to die. Does anyone deserve to die?

"Hello, doll. Dressed for the job today, aren'tcha?" Joker said as he stepped in front of her, his tongue darting out at the corner of his mouth. It was so hot out he wasn't wearing his signature purple coat or gloves and had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Nora wasn't sure what to say. "Hi, um. Y-You killed him because he threatened me?" she managed to say, still staring at the spot where the body landed. She felt his hand on her skin, causing goosebumps to run down her back as he took her chin in his hand to turn her face toward his.

"Tha-t was strike threee for mister new guy. Gotta get rid of the bad eggs somehow, hm?" he cooed. She blinked and nodded her head, keeping eye contact with him. Then he grinned and licked his lips, letting go of her chin before turning his head to nod once at a man standing by the door.

Nora was faced with some confusing feelings about what just happened. It isn't right to kill someone. Except maybe for some very specific circumstances, like self-defense or if someone was threatening someone else's life. Is that what just happened? Or did he just kill him because he wanted to? If she was going to keep spending time around the Joker, she had to accept some things at face value or she'd break down. She knew he killed people, she just hadn't seen with her own eyes it yet. With the shock wearing off, she searched her feelings and thought about her attraction toward Joker. Had that changed at all after witnessing this? No. No it hadn't. She still felt a fluttering sensation when he looked at her. _What is wrong with me?_

A tall, muscular man with a shaved head came into the room and sat down at the table. He had a gash on his scalp that was steadily bleeding, leaving a red trail down his jaw. Nora snapped back into reality and started putting gloves on her hands.

Joker pulled up a chair next to her to sit down and said, "Dome here smacked his dome into a walll." A few men chuckled at the joke and Nora tried to block the sight of the body on the floor from her mind as she prepared herself to examine the man.

She turned and addressed the large man who was nearly eye level with her from his sitting position, "Um, hi. I'm Nora."

"Hi doc," said Dome. His voice was as deep as she expected it to be.

She swallowed and said, "I-I'm gonna shine this light in your eyes, ok?" She held up the pen light to show him and he nodded. Before leaning in to look at his eyes her gaze shifted to see a group of men gathered around, watching. She felt her face turn red and she took a deep breath before turning her attention back to the man in front of her. The light clicked on and she shined it into his right eye, then his left. Each pupil contracted and expanded as it should. Next she turned her attention to the head wound. The skin was split, leaving a full thickness laceration about two inches long and the vascular tissue over the skull open to bleed but not enough to cause significant blood loss. There was a small amount of what looked like plaster dust in the wound. That was consistent with the wall part of the story. How or where it happened, she didn't really need to know.

She wasn't used to being able to ask her patients questions but in this situation it definitely came in handy. "Does your head hurt anywhere other than where the wound is?" she asked.

"Nah, feels fine," he replied.

She nodded and asked her next question, "Ok good. You feel nauseous at all?" He looked a little confused and shook his head. "Oh um, that's a symptom of a concussion," she explained.

He raised his sweaty brow and said, "Ah ok. Nah I'm good."

"Ok that's good. I need to clean the wound before I close it, there's some debris in it," she said, starting to feel a bit more relaxed.

"Ok doc," he replied, as she reached for the bottle of saline.

"You might wanna lean your head forward so I don't get it in your eyes."

Dome obliged, bowing his bloody head down and resting his elbows on his knees. Nora stood in front of him and squeezed the flush into the wound. A little red-tinged waterfall dripped to the concrete floor around her feet until she was satisfied with the wound's cleanliness. She dabbed the flesh with gauze and a tiny piece of plaster stuck in the wound caught her eye. She squinted at it and reached for the forceps on the table. It seemed like the group of men watching leaned in slightly to see what she was looking at as she carefully lowered the forceps into the wound and grabbed hold of the speck to place it on her fingertip and flick it to the side. Joker giggled as one of the men said "gross". She scrubbed some chlorhexidine antiseptic over the area and flushed it once more.

She dried his head with gauze and said, "Ok you can sit up. I think staples would be best to close this, they really aren't too painful."

"Nice, that's hardcore," he replied and Nora smiled a little.

She picked up the stapler and peeled open the package. Then she gently pushed the edges of the wound together with her fingers and aligned the stapler over the middle with her other hand. The device made a clacking sound as she pulled the trigger, spacing the steel crimps evenly apart down the length of the gash. Ten staples total were placed and it closed nicely.

"You, uh, look like Frankenstein," said Joker and the room rang with laughter. Dome joined in and chuckled, he didn't seem to mind the ribbing so Nora giggled a bit too.

"Alright, done. It might bleed a little more but it'll stop, it's best not to touch it and I wouldn't get it wet for the next ten days until the staples are removed" she said, earning a nod from Dome.

Joker stood and spread his arms out to the sides. "Alright gents, show's over!" he cried and the group of men dispersed.

Nora's focus on treating the man's wound faded and her thoughts shifted back to the murder she saw Joker commit right in front her moments earlier. She was starting to have trouble feeling much of anything about it, which she knew wasn't right. Had her strange infatuation clouded her judgement that much? That man was a person just as much as much as she, or Joker for that matter, were but she couldn't seem to feel remorse about his passing. Was it because he wanted to hurt her? The interaction was short but it seemed clear that he wanted to hurt her simply due to the fact that she was a woman. This fact certainly didn't make her think nice thoughts about him. Nora had been questioning her morals and arguing with herself so much lately that she began to feel dizzy. _Why does it have to be so fucking hot? _She sunk into a chair and stared down at her feet.

She heard Joker's voice from behind her, "What's on your mind, doc?"

Her eyes remained focused on her shoes, which were wet with blood-tinged saline, "I-I'm just thinking about that man, he's dead now."

"Don't waste your thoughts," he replied. A chair pulled up in front of her, she slowly looked up to see Joker had sat down to face her. Her heart started to beat faster. Then he leaned in stare into her face, smacking his red lips. His makeup was more smudged than it usually was, maybe from sweat or whatever escapade he had been on with his men. "He doesn't deserrrve your brain power, my dear," he said.

"Why's that?" she asked without thinking.

Joker giggled a little before saying, "Well, uh, isn't that obvious? Strike threee and he's out. I don't give fourth chances, doll. He proves to me that he's a piece of garbage, I'll trea-t him like gar-bage."

Nora blinked her eyes and focused them on his. "You're saying the world is better off without him?" she said. He nodded slowly. She replied, "Couldn't you make that argument for a lot of people?"

"Ohhh yes, I could," he said in a deep voice.

She had met a lot of people that were rude, self-absorbed, or downright cruel but she never wished them dead. Nora tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the last year of people stepping all over her was making that harder and harder to do. On a regular basis the citizens of Gotham had screamed at her or even threatened her for trying to help them by helping their animal, but not being able to do that for free. She often wished she could just see patients without ever talking to their people. But she never wished they were dead, maybe just that they'd get a flat tire or something.

Joker broke his gaze to reach into his pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes. He placed one between his lips and held another out to Nora. She usually only smoked when she drank but decided she could really use one right now and took it from him. After producing a match, seemingly out of midair, he struck it on the concrete floor and held it up for Nora to light her cigarette before then lighting his own. The two smoked in silence for a moment. Lingering under the smell of tobacco, she could smell gunpowder. It must have been on Joker's clothes. She wondered to herself how he didn't burst into flames since he smelled combustible all the time. She also smelled something kind of sweet and spicy, like shaving cream.

"How do you decide if someone deserves to die, doc-tor Nora?" Joker asked suddenly, licking his lips. She widened her eyes and remained silent, unsure of how to answer his question as usual. "The answer is that everyone deserves to die, it's just a matter of when and howww," he said.

Nora spoke softly, "What do you mean?"

"Mister new guy deserved to die today by a knife. The, uh, Dalai Lama might deserve to die in fifty years in his bed. No one has the same answer, doc. And they can't answer it for them-selves," he said.

"Well… How can someone know when and how another deserves to die?" she asked.

Joker grinned, "Simple, doll. They'll show you."

Nora wasn't sure if he was being serious or if he was lying to get her on his side. But it kind of made sense. At least it made sense for how the Joker operates. She didn't know why he would choose to share this with her though. He could have kicked her out as soon as she finished treating his goon but he didn't. She wasn't sure what to do now so she just stared at him and he did the same at her. She thought more about it. Everyone deserves to die at some point. But that isn't always a bad thing. A person riddled with terminal cancer or someone who's body had aged enough to make even the simplest task painful, their death would be a relief. Even Nora regularly helped animals that were suffering through to the other side of life. What about someone who was healthy but were bigoted, prejudiced, or a menace to those around them? Their death wasn't a mercy for them but for everyone else. She watched him take a drag off his cigarette then blow the smoke out his lips, giving her goosebumps down her back. Then Nora started to feel warm tingles in her face and between her legs. _Fuck, why can't I keep my goddamn hormones under control? Can he tell? _She swore she could feel the heat coming off of him from where he sat across from her.

Their pseudo staring contest was interrupted by a tall man with dark hair in a leather jacket. Nora recognized him from the night Joker was in her apartment. "Hey boss?" he said, walking up to them. Joker's eyes narrowed and he rolled them toward the man.

"Don't ya know its rude to interr-upt?" Joker said, slowly turning his head.

The man took a step back and said, "Uh sorry boss. Me and the boys need to take inventory." Joker sighed and blinked slowly before reaching behind him to retrieve a 9 mm Glock from his waistband. He handed it by the barrel to the man without a word. As soon as he took the gun in his hand, the man backed up and swiftly joined the group unloading weapons and ammo on a large table. Joker turned back to Nora and ran his tongue over his teeth. She had never seen so many guns and explosives before, it made her a little uncomfortable.

"Can I get ya a drink, doc?" Joker asked, raising his eyebrows.

_What_ _did he just say?_ It didn't really seem like a good time to have a drink. She was in a warehouse full of heavily armed criminals in the most dangerous part of the city and it was getting near midnight. But she still somehow felt… safe. Yes she had seen Joker kill a man without hesitation less than an hour ago, but he did it to a man that had threatened her. He threatened her only because of her gender and Joker killed him for it. She supposed it made sense that she'd feel protected around him after that. She saved him, he saved her. Plus she could really use something to drink, preferably something cold.

"Um, ok sure," she answered.

Joker flashed a smile and said, "Pick your poison, doll." He stood and motioned for Nora to follow him. They walked toward the back of the main room, under the landing to the second floor, where a make-shift kitchen had been constructed. There was a sink against the wall, a long countertop across from it, and an old refrigerator that looked like it was made in the 1950's. Joker slid behind the counter and bent down to rummage in some shelves as Nora sat on a stool in front of it. His hands lifted bottles of liquor to place them on the countertop and he continued clinking more bottles below, humming an unfamiliar tune. Once he was satisfied with the selection, he stood and put his hands on his hips. He looked like the strangest bartender she'd ever seen. Nora looked at the bottles of various dark and clear liquids. There was whisky, vodka, dark and light rum, gin and Campari.

"Campari and gin," she said with a smile.

Joker grinned back and said, "Ahh so she's classy," winking at her. She blushed as he got to work on the cocktail, taking a glass out from under the counter. He retrieved some ice from the freezer to drop it in the glass before adding in generous pours of the spirits. _Ah yes, something cold!_ Nora smiled at him when he slid the cool glass to her from across the counter.

"Thanks, J," she said, flutters in her stomach.

Joker clicked his tongue in his mouth and replied, "Don't mention it, doll." Then he dropped more ice into another glass and poured some whisky over it to take a large gulp. He shuddered a bit, shook his head, and made a funny noise before pouring more of the brown liquid into the glass. Nora giggled silently to herself and took a sip of her drink as she watched him. It tasted amazing and she instantly felt cooler. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"Another long day, my dear?" he asked, leaning in on his hands against the counter top. He blinked at her with a straight face.

She wasn't sure if he really cared but she might as well play along. "Uh yeah, kind of. I guess I'm just tired," she replied.

"Well I'm no, uh, doctor but I'd say you need to relax. Have some funnn," he purred, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

_What kind of fun?_ She narrowed her eyes and turned her head to the side skeptically, "Fun?"

"Mmmmhm," he nodded. They stared at each other and took a sip of their drinks. "You know how to play poker, doctor Nora?" he asked.

She raised her eyebrows and grinned before answering, "I do, actually." Joker flashed a smile before picking up his glass and heading for a nearby round table where stacks of red chips sat in front of each chair. Nora followed and pulled out a chair to sit down. She could hear the sound of hip-hop that had begun playing on a radio.

Joker whistled loudly and called out, "Texas Hold'em! Place your bets, gentlemen!" Heads turned to look followed by nods and comments amongst the men in the room. A few of those counting ammo along with some from the couches stood and made their way to the poker table. Q and Enigma were amongst them, Enigma bringing a fifth of Grand Mariner and a handful of shot glasses with him. The group gathered at the table with Joker and Nora. "Boss," a few of them said, nodding to him.

"You want one, doc?" Enigma asked her, setting the shot glasses down on the table. She froze and shifted her eyes around the table. The four other men joining them looked more or less innocuous as far as she could tell, no glares or dirty looks at her. Also, even though she hated to admit it, she did feel safe around Joker. _Ok, take one to show them you're not a loser._

She smiled and said, "Only if you take one too."

Enigma laughed and poured enough shots for everyone at the table. After he passed them around, he took one in his hand and turned to Joker. "Boss, who we drinkin' to?" he asked.

Joker picked up a shot glass and pretended to think for a moment. "To doctor Noraaa," he said, raising the glass in the air. Her eyes went wide and her face flushed bright red.

"To doctor Nora," the group echoed before they tossed their heads back to swallow the liquor. Nora blinked and quickly took her shot, trying to avoid making her awkwardness more obvious.

The glasses hit the table top and Joker clapped his hands together, "Alright! Let's get to it, shall we? Five bucks per chip." The group sat down into their chairs as Joker expertly shuffled the deck. He dealt two cards to each of them from his left, everyone taking a quick look at them. Nora was sat to Joker's right and peeked at her cards as well. A three and a seven of spades. _Not bad. _She lifted her gaze up from her cars and glanced around the table. Two of the men appeared pretty pleased but she never trusted anyone not to bluff from the beginning. Everyone else, including Joker remained expressionless.

He turned to the man on his left and licked his lips. The young, blonde haired man tossed two chips into the center of the table. They went around the table placing bets and a couple of players checked, knocking a knuckle on the wood. Nora continued to sip her drink until it was her turn. She decided to raise and added four chips to the pot. Joker chuckled and called her bet, throwing in four chips of his own. Then he turned over three cards from the top of a the deck and placed them on the table in front of him. A jack of spades, a queen of diamonds, and a two of spades._ Promising._

The blonde man checked. Everyone else stayed in that round, matching the bet or four chips, except Q who raised by one. Once it was Nora's turn she raised by another chip and turned to Joker. He smirked at her, leaned in, and focused his eyes on hers. A wave of tingles ran through her and she smirked back, cocking an eyebrow and keeping her eyes on his. She was most of the way through her sizable drink at that point and it was mingling with the shot in her stomach, making her feel looser and her mind a little fuzzy. Joker giggled at her ridiculous poker face and tossed seven chips into the pot before flipping over another card from the deck. It was an ace of spades. _Fuck yeah!_ Nora focused on keeping a straight face but it was a struggle. She stared at Joker, trying to get a sense of how good his hand might be at this point, but his expression remained perfectly neutral. He did raise the bet on his last turn but he might just be egging her on. The next round of bets went around the table, leaving Enigma, Q, a big guy with a beard, Joker, and Nora left after the other three folded. With a check, two matches, and two raises, the pot was now ten chips. Joker flipped over the final card onto the table, a queen of hearts. Q sighed and tossed his cards down followed by the bearded man. Nora was feeling lucky, odds were looking good for winning this round with a strong flush. The four of them looked at each other and revealed their cards. Enigma had a straight with a ten of diamonds and a king of hearts in front of him. Nora's flush beat that but she looked in front of Joker to see a queen of spades and a queen of clubs, a four of a kind. The silence broke with loud cackles from Joker as Enigma and Nora groaned.

The group played a few more times with other players coming and going, each game starting with a round of shots. Everyone's voices becoming progressively louder as they drank. The bearded man, who was introduced to Nora as Tiny, won the next round with a full house to be met with jeering from the rest of the table. Enigma won a round with an queen-high flush over Joker's king-high flush, which he celebrated by running victory laps around the table as Nora and Joker threw chips at him. Nora won the last game, which was particularly rowdy, with a straight flush of a seven, eight, nine, ten, and jack of hearts. She yelled, "Yes! Fuck yeah!" causing the group to laugh and clap for her. She sat back in her chair and laughed along with them.

After a while the group scattered, a few men stumbling their way to the couches or outside to who knows where. Joker was scribbling the last of the bets in the pots along with the winners from each game on a piece of paper as he discussed the pay-outs noisily with some of the players. The warehouse became much quieter once the last few men dispersed. Before he left the table, Enigma shook Nora's hand and said, "Great playing with ya, doc!"

"Thanks! You too," she replied. Despite her win, she ended up losing almost three hundred bucks but it was worth it. She actually had a great time.

She looked next to her to see Joker turned toward her. He was lighting two cigarettes between his lips, leaning back in his chair with one ankle rested on his opposite knee. He took one from his mouth and handed it to her, she felt that familiar warm and tingling sensation in her core and gladly accepted it. It tasted a bit like whisky and greasepaint. She had gotten quite tipsy from all of the drinking at that point but tasting his mouth on the cigarette was even more intoxicating. She savored the flavor and took a long drag to blow the smoke out at the ceiling. Her will power to hold back her feelings for him had been fading all night. Her eyes opened and she noticed Joker staring at her. It wasn't a sinister stare. It was almost like he was trying to figure something out and if he looked at her long enough maybe it would come to him. She stared back and softened her gaze, licking her lips and taking another hit off her cigarette.

"You're uh differ-ent aren't ya, doll?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, knowing by now that it was better to answer his questions with another question.

He ran his tongue over his lower lip and answered, "You're still herrre." It was true, she had become remarkably comfortable in her potentially dangerous surroundings that night. It was two 'o'clock in the morning at that point and she hadn't even realized it.

She blew smoke out her lips and said, "That's true, I am. I don't want to over stay my welcome."

He scoffed through his nose and replied, "Not possible, doll."

Nora felt flutters in her stomach and cracked a small smile. They began to look into each other's eyes again, making her heart rate rise and she could swear she saw Joker breathing faster. His eyes wandered to her lips.

"I have something to show you," he finally said. Nora was breathing faster now and simply nodded her head. Joker stood and when she did the same to follow him, he took her by the hand, sending sensations of pins and needles up her arm. She felt warm and dazed, floating along with him up the stairs up to the second floor. In her reverie, her thoughts of what was about to happen, the potential that harm could come to her, were drowned out by her lust. He opened the door to the dimly lit room and lead her inside. When the door closed, Nora felt her body being pushed up against it and her breath hitched in her throat. But the act didn't seem aggressive, it felt different. Joker held her against the door, his chest pressed up against hers and his hands on either side of her head. Nora's heart pounded and she felt incredibly warm all over but remained still. They both breathed heavily for a moment and she looked into his eyes. They were soft and half-lidded but had a fire burning behind them at the same time.

Suddenly, Joker reached his fingers into her hair on the back of her head and brought it forward, crashing his lips into hers. She couldn't believe what was happening. _Is this real?_ She returned the kiss, tasting his lips. _Yep, it's real. _Nora put her arms around his neck and he deepened the kiss, his scars intensifying the feeling of his mouth against hers. They stood against the door, taking each other in as their mouths continued to greedily devour the sensation. He pulled away abruptly to look her in the eyes before moving his mouth to her neck, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin, earning a quiet moan from Nora. She felt his lips form a smile against her as he chuckled softly and she joined in. The two giggled as he pulled her to the bed in the corner where they flopped down and continued to explore each other's mouths.

Song for this chapter: LUST. by Kendrick Lamar


	8. Chapter 8: Hopeless Addiction

**Chapter Eight: Hopeless Addiction**

** Heads up! This chapter becomes NSFW**

Nora's eyes fluttered open slowly to see yellow sunlight peeking through the blinds in an otherwise dark room. She took in a deep breath a stretched beneath a blanket that had been placed over her. The soft bedding smelled like him. The realization of where she must be came rushing over her and she sat straight up. She glanced around to see the desk with the big chair, the wardrobe, the purple coat hanging over the bed post. She was alone in Joker's room. Moving the covers aside, she saw that her shoes had been taken off but she was still wearing her scrubs. She sighed and laid back into the pillows. With her eyes closed, a big smile formed across her face and she bit her bottom lip. _He kissed me._ The whole time she had been torturing herself over her infatuation, it turned out that he might feel the same way.

Images from the night before ran through her head. They were laying in the bed, Nora on her back with Joker propped on his hands over top of her, leaning in to allow her mouth to dance with his. That night it felt like he'd put his lips and tongue on every inch of exposed skin over her neck as she put her head back to give him free access to it all, squirming with pleasure beneath him and running her fingers through his hair. He was never forceful, his touch was voracious but also gentle somehow. Nora was a bit surprised by this but then again, she never allowed herself to guess what his affections would be like. It was painful for her, she thought it was impossible. But it was possible and he was fantastic at it. Nora had never gotten so much pleasure from simply kissing. There was a swell of desire that was finally released from them both, freely flowing over them as they kissed each other for what felt like hours. She must have fallen asleep at some point. She sighed again and opened her eyes. _Where is he? _Nora sat up again and slid out of the bed to put her shoes on. She listened for a moment but didn't hear anything. But after taking only a few steps, the door to the room opened and she stopped.

Joker stepped into the room with a glass of water in his hand. Once he saw Nora standing there, a grin came over his face as he walked toward her, setting the glass on the desk without taking his eyes off of hers. He took her face in his hands and brought her lips to his for a deep, passionate kiss. Nora melted in his hands and closed her eyes. He tasted like mint.

He gently pulled back from the kiss and licked his lips before popping them and saying, "Mmmhm, still deli-cious." She smiled and started to giggle, making Joker's grin stretch wider.

"Mornin', doll," he said, moving his hands from her face and handing her the glass from the desk.

She took it and replied, "Morning, J. Thank you," before taking a sip of cold water.

Joker suddenly let out a high pitched giggle as he looked at her. Her face reflected her confusion before he wordlessly took the glass and placed it back down on the desk to lead her to the bathroom by her hand. He turned her shoulders toward the mirror to reveal the faded red and white paint spread all over her neck, making Nora chuckle.

"Sorry, doll. Couldn't help myself," he said.

"It's quite alright," she replied, still smiling.

He took a towel from the edge of the sink and ran it under the water. Then he stood in front of her and tilted her chin up with his fingers. Goosebumps rose up all over Nora's skin as he brought the towel to her neck, wiping away the makeup with a swipe of the cool cloth, before putting his warm mouth in its place. Her jaw fell open and she gasped, closing her eyes. He repeated the action all over her neck until he reached the last patch of skin where he lightly brought it between his teeth before pulling away and rubbing the towel across her neck once more. Nora slowed her breathing and opened her eyes to see Joker looking at her with eyes heavy-lidded. He ran his hand along her jaw and stepped back.

He stared at her as his chest quickly rose and fell and he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, giving Nora a surge of tingles in her lower stomach. He closed his eyes and tensed his jaw muscles for a moment, like he was trying to restrain himself.

His eyes opened and in a deep voice he said, "You, my dear, are addic-tive. You and I are gonna have to, uh, continue this laterr."

She looked back at him through her lashes and nodded slowly, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. Joker made a low growling sound and flashed her a seductive smile, causing Nora's heart to flutter in her chest. He took her hand in his and said, "Take your time, doll, then meet me downstairs," before letting it go and leaving the bathroom to head back out the door.

All Nora could do was nod her head again, lost for words as she recovered from the flood of endorphins taking over her brain. She wanted more. If she was addictive, then he must be heroin and she was hooked. Another huge grin stretched across her face when she thought about what he just said. He wanted more too. Once she came down from her high, she used the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Then she ran her fingers through her hair before making her way to the door out to the warehouse. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

The warehouse was bright with morning light and it was much cooler than yesterday. A few men were loading weapons into duffel bags, looking up at Nora as she descended the stairs toward them. She recognized some of them from the night before when they played poker. _Shit, this is awkward._ Her eyes anxiously scanned the room for Joker's painted face. Instead she saw Enigma approaching her, he looked pretty hung over.

"Ah, good mornin', doc," he said, rubbing his forehead.

A small smile formed on her face and she replied, "Hi, Enigma. You feeling ok?"

He wrinkled his nose and pinched its bridge with his fingers as he replied, "Oh I'm ok, just payin' for all those shots last night. Almost wish I could take my eyeballs out my head for a bit, you know? I'll be alright though, boss just told be to bring you outside when you come down."

"Oh ok," she said, feeling a twinge of nervous butterflies.

Enigma lead her to a different side door on the other side of the main room. The two of them stepped out into the sunshine causing Enigma to squint before pulling a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and putting them on to shield his eyes. Nora blinked to adjust to their bright surroundings and saw Joker walking toward them over the gravel, his hair looking particularly green in the sunlight. The back of her neck tingled when she saw him.

"Ahhh there she is," he purred with a smile. "We have ourselves an in-teresting development this morning, doll."

Nora held back her desire to bring her lips to that smile and replied, "Oh, um, what is it?"

He gestured for her to follow him. They walked toward the sound of gulls, past a stack of shipping containers, to reach an isolated dock on the Gotham River. A few men stood at the edge of the dock, looking into the water, then turning to watch Nora and Joker as they approached, Enigma not far behind. The bearded man, Tiny, from the poker game the night before stepped toward them. "Doc, Boss," he said as he nodded to them.

"Tiny here stumble upon this, uh, speci-men moments ago," Joker said. Nora stepped forward to look over the edge of the river bank to see a body floating in the water. _Shit!_ She gasped and took a step back.

Joker put a hand on her shoulder and pointed at the body, "Tha-t belonged to a fellow we knew as Mac. He was skilled in obtaining firearms. As you can see, he has met his demise." A man standing nearby with a bottle of liquor in his hand poured some on the ground before taking a swig and passing it to the others.

Nora nodded and said, "I'm sorry."

Joker nodded back and replied, "Well doc, can you tell us how long our friend here has been dead?"

She widened her eyes and looked at Joker. She did post mortem exams in vet school but not since then. She did remember the basic principles, though. However, she obviously never dealt with a human. But a corpse is a corpse, so she might be able to tell. _Alright, detach yourself from the fact that it's a man and have a look. _A side effect of having medical training of any sort is the ability to disconnect from one's emotions and get the job done.

She furrowed her brow and said, "I'll try."

A few of the men hopped down into the shallow water and lifted the water-logged body up onto the dock. Nora looked to Joker, feeling more nervous by the second as her heart raced. He put a finger up before reaching into his pocket to pull out a surgical mask and a pair of gloves. She felt some slight relief and gave him a small smile, looking into his eyes as he handed them to her. He licked his lips and returned the gaze for a moment. Nora hoped the men around them couldn't sense the pull between them that they were both resisting. She put her hands into the gloves then covered her nose and mouth with the mask, looping the elastic ties over her ears. She took a deep, shaky breath before slowly approaching the dripping corpse.

The cause of death was rather obvious as there was a large, open bullet hole in the middle of the forehead. Nora carefully knelt down and leaned over to look at the face. The eyelids were fixed open, showing cloudy corneas. _Ok, so at least two hours ago._ She scanned her eyes over the surface of the body. The exposed skin was discolored as well, pale in some places and splotchy in others from blood pooling in the tissue. _That takes a while to happen, probably four hours._ Using two fingers, she lightly touched the skin. It was cold but it had been in the water so temperature wasn't going to be reliable. Then she gently reached out to try to open the jaw. It was stuck shut like a vice. Rigor mortis has at least begun to set in, it usually starts at the face and moves down. _Alright, so animals reach complete rigor after about four to six hours, depending on their size. _She touched one the hands and tried to bend the fingers with no success. Then her hands gripped the ankles, unable to flex those either. _Assuming his weight was at least doubled compared to an animal, complete rigor should take about twelve hours._ All of the muscles had locked into flexion after calcium flowed in, no energy reserves available after death to release them. This lasts up to a few days until the muscles start to decompose and release. She pulled up the shirt a bit to lightly press on the tissue of abdomen. No bloating yet, that starts after about a day.

Nora stood and faced the group watching her from the river bank. "I think he died maybe twelve to twenty four hours ago," she said.

Joker looked down at the body and nodded. Tiny and the other men then heaved the body onto a tarp to carry it off toward the shipping containers.

"We'll bury him after dark," Enigma told Nora. She nodded her head, removing her gloves and mask.

Joker's arm wrapped around her shoulders and he said, "Thanks, doll," leading her back to the warehouse.

They stepped out of the bright sunlight and back into the cool warehouse where Joker brought Nora to sit down at a table. He sat across from her and folded his fingers together on the table top, watching her as he remained silent for over a minute. _What is he waiting for?_ She stared back and sighed.

"Are you going to ask who killed him?" Joker asked suddenly.

She shifted in her seat and replied, "I wasn't sure if that was my business."

"Mmm well, as a member of our uh happy little family, you deserve to know what it is we do here," he said, then waited for her response.

He never ceased to surprise her. Why did he trust her to tell her details about his operation? Did she really deserve to know? She didn't know what else to say other than, "I do?"

He tilted his chin down and nodded slowly as he replied, "You dooo." His tongue darted out over his lip and he said, "I have some, uh, unfinished business with my pal, Sal."

This was another name Nora had heard on the news. "Salvatore Maroni?" she asked.

Joker grinned, "So sharp! Indeed, my dear. Gotham's last man standing on the Mob's front lines."

"I thought he died in a car accident," Nora said.

"Ahhhh well that is what Gotham's finest would like you to bel-ieve. Mister Maroni is alive and well," he told her. "Those Mob chumps are the worst kind of criminals. Almost as bad as uh, the Batman."

This was the first time Nora hear Joker mention Batman. He had gone off the grid after Harvey Dent's death and if anyone knew anything about his whereabouts, there was no way that information would be made public. Batman was the whole reason Joker turned Gotham upside down in the first place. Wasn't he?

"Batman? A criminal?" she asked.

Joker giggled loudly and leaned back in his chair, "Ohhhh yes. Batman, a criminal. A self-righteous vigilante taking the so-called law into his own hands to try to control things that are not mean-t to be controllled. The Batman was no martyr, but a fool with one useless rule."

Nora never really liked Batman, he did seem kind of smug, but she never thought of him as a criminal before. _Well you're a criminal too, Joker._

"What do you mean by worst kind of criminal?" she asked.

Joker smiled and licked the inside of his lip. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation quite a bit. "Ahhh well again we come to the topic of controlll. The Mob is all about control. Just. Like. Batman. They hide behind their money, an illu-sion of power. No money, no power. It's not about money, they're useless. Money has its place, yes. But a better criminal can take what they want withou-t money, things that can't be bought."

Nora nodded and said, "I understand." Now that Batman was out of the picture, the Mob was next.

"Of course you do. You're no fool, Nora," he leaned in to say. "So Maroni catches wind of little old Joker comin' after him and he tries to cut me off from my fire power. Mmmm well, Sal mustn't know I prefer knives," he snarled. Nora was starting to feel intimidated listening to Joker talk about his feud with the Mob. She hadn't forgotten that Joker was a murderer, she wasn't stupid, but his eyes got darker when he talked about it and that made her nervous.

But as soon as he got close to her, those feelings dissolved. Joker had leaned in so close that his nose nearly touched hers. She felt the heat of his breath as his lips hovered in front of hers and she closed her eyes, her skin prickling with goosebumps. It felt like some beast within him was tamed by her closeness, all of his anger washed away by lust. He took a deep breath in through his nose, as if taking in her scent, and sat back down in his chair slowly as Nora opened her eyes.

He blinked slowly and stretched his neck before he said, "As much as I ha-te to cut this meeting of ours short, doll. I have some, uh, complications to deal with."

She brought herself back down to Earth and replied, "Um, yeah. That's ok." _Fuck, you're so awkward, Nora._

Joker stood and offered her his arm to take. She smiled and took it. He escorted her to the side door and outside to the waiting black car. Q was behind the wheel and Enigma in the passenger seat. Joker opened the rear door for her. Then his arm suddenly flew up to grip the top of the car, blocking her from getting in. He leaned in so his lips brushed against her ear, sending tingles down her back, and he said in a deep voice, "I'll be seeing you soon, doll." She nodded slowly and they shared a seductive gaze as he stepped back and she lowered herself into the car.

Nora closed the door and took a deep breath, keeping her eyes down, trying to control her arousal in front of Q and Enigma. The car started and an awkward silence as thick as smoke hung over the three of them. Nora looked at the seat next to her to see that they had brought her medical bag for her and it had a roll of cash sticking out of the pocket. She smiled at it. Despite how he felt about money, he always made sure he paid her. She started thinking about what Joker told her, about the Mob and about Batman. It was true that Batman caused a lot of trouble. She heard rumors he brought more corruption to the Gotham police force. And just before his disappearance, Gotham Tonight covered numerous stories on inspired groups of other vigilantes he inspired to take to the streets, leaving a terrible mess behind. But the Mob was something she didn't know much about other than the little she'd heard on the news, it wasn't discussed much for obvious reasons.

A question came to her mind and Nora disrupted the silence, "How does he know Maroni killed that man?"

Enigma snapped out of his trance, staring out the windshield, and thought for a moment before replying, "Mac was in Maroni's neck of the woods yesterday doing business. Boss and a few guys, you met Dome, they was keeping Maroni's men busy but he must've still found out about the deal. Mac was meeting his supplier for some more guns and ammo sometime during when you said he died. It had to have been Sal. He left the body to send us a message, I'm sayin'."

Nora didn't respond, she just watched the buildings go by outside the window. She knew these men were dangerous so she had planned to keep her distance but now she was getting a closer glimpse into their world than she ever thought possible.

"I hate those mother fuckers," Q suddenly said. "My family owned a jewelry shop at the edge of the Narrows when I was little. That piece of shit Falcone gave my pop such a hard time, he never let him refuse his so called protection. I know he killed my father over some fuckin money. Now Maroni runnin' things just as bad so I joined Joker's crew to teach that bitch a lesson."

Enigma nodded and said, "Q here got a personal vendetta with the Mob. Me, I been in and out of jail for petty shit. They treated me like a fuckin' animal for non-violent crimes. Now I can't get a job. Gotham cops owe me half my life and I 'aint gonna live by their bullshit rules."

She didn't know what to say. Nora felt privileged to have never had any trouble with the law. For most people in the Narrows it was an unavoidable part of life, just from trying to get by.

"I-I'm so sorry, guys," she eventually replied.

Enigma looked at her through the rearview mirror, "It's alright, doc. We're still here."

She thought for a second and said, "Can I buy you guys breakfast?"

She saw Q's smile in the mirror. "Shit yeah, doc. I'm starvin'."

They stopped at a mom and pop diner in Nora's neighborhood. The three of them sharing a booth certainly earned a few curious looks as they laughed and talked. Nora told them a bit more about herself as they ate their omelets and drank coffee. She talked about being a veterinarian, the gratification it brought her as well as the challenges. They talked about their families. Her mother passed away when she was a kid and she lost her father to cancer a year ago. She didn't have any siblings. They talked about Joker, calling him "J" to avoid unwanted attention.

"I never seen him act the way he does when he's around ya, Nora," said Enigma.

She blushed and stammered, "O-oh? Uh, well I did save his life."

The two men chuckled and Enigma replied, "Ah yeah I'm sure that's it," winking at her.

Nora must have had her embarrassment written all over her face as he said, "Relax, doc. You gotta know ladies don't really hang around our crew. I seen him around women once or twice but he's never paid them any attention. I never seen him give anyone as much attention as you. Plus you don't look away as soon as you see his scars. You're crazy, girl, I love it."

She sighed and took a sip of her warm coffee, trying to hide her smile behind the mug, looking down at the table. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah doc, really," said Q.

After their third round of coffee, Nora paid the check, despite Q and Enigma's insistence that they should split it. She said goodbye to the men and got out of the car outside of her apartment building, her medical bag on her shoulder. As soon as the elevator doors shut, a wide grin pulled at her cheeks and started to giggle. Her life had been turned upside down by a man who spends his time in creepy clown make up, terrorizing Mob bosses, cops, and whoever else he pleased, plus anyone who gets in the way, and she couldn't have been happier about it. She was going to see him again soon. _But how soon?_

She unlocked her door and dropped her bag down to greet Bowie. After topping off the cat's food bowl, Nora stepped into her bedroom. _Ohhh a shower sounds great._ The steamy water ran down her skin and she sighed as the past day's grime was washed away. She stepped out of the shower to get dressed in fresh clothes and she started to daydream. She remembered touching Joker that night she treated his wound. She was so nervous then but now that's all she wanted to do. She remembered what his bare chest looked like and she shivered, feeling a tingling between her legs. _Fuck, I gotta go do something else. _Nora left her apartment to take a walk and decided to go to the shopping district. It was a nice day and a lot of other people were out. She got a funny feeling thinking about how no one around her had any idea that the ordinary woman in front of them made out with the Joker last night and she chuckled to herself. After a bit of window shopping she stopped into a book store. Browsing the shelves, she came across a medical reference section. While looking through the titles on the spines, a thick textbook caught her eye. "Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine." She reached for it and thumbed through its pages, coming across the section on thoracentesis. She smiled and shut the book, then heading for the cashier to purchase it.

Once she got home, she made herself some tea and sat down at her little kitchen table with the book. Becoming immersed in its content, she read about local nerve blocks, wound closure, burn care, ocular trauma, injuries to tendons of the hand and before she knew it, dusk had turned the sky a bright red outside her window. It was quiet except for the occasional car rolling past on the street below. Nora stretched to turn on a lamp and continued reading until the color drained from the sky, leaving it dark. Suddenly, the sound of a knock on her door echoed through the apartment. She turned to the clock on the stove. _10:06 pm. _She got a little nervous. Maybe it was Joker but she figured he was busy. What if someone from the Mob wanted to hurt her for working for him? Could they even know who she was? Another knock. Her heart pounded and she tip toed her bare feet across the floor. _Damn that fucking landlord for installing doors without peepholes in fucking Gotham._ She quietly stood at the door. _You're paranoid, Nora, it's probably Leann._

She took a deep breath and cracked open the door to see a purple coat. Her breath hitched in her throat and she flung the door wide open. Joker's hands came up to hold both sides of her face as he crashed his lips into hers. The two stumbled back into the apartment, attached at the lips. She was consumed by his kiss as she shut the door and locked it behind them. Joker shrugged his coat off to let it fall to the floor along with his gloves, his mouth never breaking contact with hers. They stood for a moment in the hall, just inside the door, savoring the restored connection between them and they could feel each other's hearts pounding in their chests that were pressed together. Nora laced her fingers into his hair as Joker ran his hands down her sides, causing her to groan softly. His hands felt amazing. She felt his lips curl into a smile against hers and she did the same. Then he brought his hands back to her face and pulled away from the kiss to look her in the eyes. He had that same look in his as he did the night before, soft but hungry. Nora grinned and took him by the hand to lead him to her bedroom. He chuckled and followed her willingly.

Once they were in the room, she turned to him and he swiftly scooped Nora off her feet, bridal style, to carry her to the bed and drop her on her back onto the mattress, prompting a fit of giggles from them both. Joker hurriedly kicked his shoes off to pounce on top of her and bring his lips back to hers. She brought her hands up to hold his face and pulled him closer, her thumbs brushing against his scars. A low groan rumbled from his throat. Then Nora felt his fingertips graze the skin of her abdomen, just under the bottom of her shirt, to start to pull it up and she took a sharp breath in. Joker stopped suddenly at the sound, but then she put his hand back at her bare side and tugged at the bottom of her t-shirt to pull it off over her head, leaving her just in her black bra from the waist up. He kept his eyes on hers for a moment before letting them travel down her chest. He lingered for a moment, then suddenly lowered his mouth to her neck to gently suck at her skin. He and moved his way down to her chest where he left no exposed skin untouched by his lips and tongue. Nora's jaw dropped and she moaned softly, causing Joker to quicken his pace before stopping to bring his lips back to hers. She responded by bringing her fingers to his tie to loosen it, then down the buttons of his waistcoat. Breathing heavily, he leaned back on his bent knees on either side of Nora to then unbutton his shirt and toss the garments to the floor. They stared at each other for a moment and Nora reached out to touch his chest before they resumed their passionate kissing, their bodies pressed against together to feel each other's warm skin.

Joker peppered kisses down her neck, chest and then her abdomen, tracing her figure with his hands as he went. She breathed heavily and grabbed hold of his hair. He stopped at her waistband and shifted his eyes up to meet hers. Nora smiled and nodded her head. A grin stretched over his face and he slowly unbuttoned her jeans to pull them down, then throw them onto the floor with the rest of their clothing. He sat up to look down at her body, now only in her undergarments. A lustful growl preceded a ravenous attack on her abdomen with his mouth, making her giggle.

Joker lifted his lips from her skin and said, "Hello, doll."

Nora laughed and softly replied, "Hi, J."

He looked at her with half-lidded eyes and propped himself on his side next to her to run his hand up her thigh. She raised her hips in response to his touch as it got closer to her pelvis and he brought his lips back to hers. Then she felt his fingers gently pass over the fabric of her panties and she couldn't help but moan loudly.

"Mmmm, now that's what I like to hear," he growled in a deep voice.

Nora had certainly been touched there previously but it never felt that way before and he barely touched her. Her heart pounded with tingles passing through her. She grabbed his face and sat up to kiss him deeply, running her tongue along his lip, eliciting a shiver from him. He slid a hand around her back to unhook her bra as she placed her hands on his waistband to unbutton his pants. They separated for a moment for her to shrug her bra off her shoulders and toss it to the side. He stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes again before looking down at her breasts. He took a deep breath as he stared at them before he wrapped his arms around her to bring her chest to his as he gently bit down on her neck after brushing her hair to the side. Then he proceeded to lay her down on her back and knelt over top of her, putting his mouth to her chest. Nora gasped and gripped his shoulders when his tongue ran across her nipple. He continued to caress her chest with his mouth as he slid his hand under the waist of her panties. She closed her eyes and moaned when his fingertips made contact with her most sensitive area. Then he took his hand and placed it on her hip where he hooked his thumb under the fabric of her panties and slid it down it to gently expose her sex. His mouth replaced his finger tips to taste her and Nora bucked her hips, moaning louder, encouraging him to continue. She threw her head back into the pillows, unable to keep still as he began to devour her. No one's mouth ever felt as good as his.

Moments after his tongue made contact with her little bundle of nerves, a burst of color flashed over her vision and she gripped the bed sheets in her fists as her back arched and she cried out in pleasure. Joker gripped her hips, keeping his face between her legs as she panted and rode out her orgasm. Once she came down from her high, she fluttered her eyes open and looked at him, his hands still at her hips and his chin resting on her public bone. They grinned at each other and he launched himself up to meet her lips with his. _The Joker just gave me an orgasm... _As they kissed each other, Nora pulled at the waist of his pants to slide it down and free his member. He groaned loudly when her fingers grazed his erection. Then she kept her lips locked with his as she guided it to her entrance and pulled the thin fabric of her panties to the side to give him access. Their kiss stopped to look into each other's eyes as he gently entered her, eliciting a gasp from them both. A series of moans escaped their open mouths when he began to thrust. They made no effort to keep quiet, connected at their waists, and drowning in pleasure. Joker took both sides of her face in his hands, propping himself on his elbows, and brought his mouth to the side of her neck, at the sensitive skin just below her ear. This sent Nora over the edge once again and she arched her back, bringing Joker along with her. Their release was simultaneous, each one's breath and movement synchronized with the other's. Once their panting died down a bit, he withdrew from her to fall onto his back next to her. She rolled to her side to face him as he blew air out from between lips and she caught her breath too. Their eyes met and he put his hand behind her head to bring it forward for a kiss on her forehead.

"Well that was fan-tas-tic," he said with a smile and Nora giggled, resting her head on his shoulder.

Song for this chapter: Bedroom Hymns by Florence + The Machine


	9. Chapter 9: The Italian

**Authors Note:**

**Over 1,000 views! That's so exciting! Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!**

**Chapter Nine: The Italian**

Joker and Nora laid on her bed, contented and basking in the afterglow of their consummation, the room dimly lit by a nearby lamp. He was on his back with Nora's head rested on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, running her finger along the fresh scar from the glass shard. He picked up her hand to lazily inspect her fingers and palm, making her giggle.

"You have long fingers," he said.

"Surgeon's hands," she replied, matter-of-factly.

Joker laughed and said, "Ahhh, is that so? Well I learned some, uh, other things they can do," turning his face to her and bouncing his eyebrows.

Nora laughed and blushed, putting her hand over her eyes in her embarrassment. He lifted her hand from her face to make eye contact with her, a little smirk on his face. Then he placed her hand back on his chest and laid his head back to close his eyes. She took a deep breath and sighed, getting comfortable as well.

"Well doll, was that as good for you as it was for me?" Joker asked, his eyes still closed.

She smiled and replied, "You have no idea."

He giggled a bit before opening his eyes and saying, "Ah good, I don't like to make assumptions bu-t, uh, you sounded like you enjoyed yourself."

"You're correct, very much," she said, chuckling softly.

He tilted her chin up with his fingers and touched his nose to hers. "Goood," he purred, before kissing her firmly.

After releasing from the kiss, he buttoned his pants and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, putting two between his lips. Then he shifted and sat up on the bed before standing and bending over to pick something up off the floor. Nora smirked when he tossed her t-shirt to her and she put it on to then take his hand he offered her. They walked out into the living room where the large window was open and sat on the wide windowsill, leaning on opposite walls and facing each other with their feet resting side by side. Joker retrieved a lighter from his pants and lit the cigarettes. He handed one to Nora and she took it between her fingers. They sat leaning against the window pane and looked at each other as they smoked in silence, Nora in her t-shirt and panties and Joker just wearing his pants. It was a comfortable silence. The lit ends of their cigarettes illuminated their faces each time they brought it to their lips to inhale.

Her mind was still swimming in hormones, the nicotine now adding to the satisfied feeling. Taking a drag off her cigarette, she then began to feel an overwhelming sense of relief. After days and days of wishing and wanting, her innermost desires had been fulfilled. She wasn't at all disappointed with the result. Now she hoped that Joker felt the same way, she didn't want this connection to slip through her fingers just after taking hold of it. She certainly didn't expect a normal relationship with him, she wasn't naïve. She wasn't sure what she expected. But there was a great hope that this wouldn't be the first as well as the last time they became intimate.

Joker spoke up to say, "I know what you're thinking." Nora silently raised her brow and tilted her head in response. "Youu are thinking about whether this is going to happen again, hm?" he asked before bringing his cigarette to his lips.

She exhaled a mouthful of smoke and replied honestly, "I was."

"No need to worry about that, doll. One night stands aren't, uh, my sty-le. Also I don't know how you could expect me to stay away from thiss," he said, closing one eye and forming his thumbs and forefingers into a frame over his view of her.

Nora grinned at him and giggled, her sense of relief coming back to her. "Good," she said.

He smirked back at her and put his cigarette in his mouth, freeing his hands to tug at her ankles, pulling her toward him on the windowsill. She laughed and wrapped her legs around his waist before taking the cigarette from his mouth to bring her lips to his for a deep kiss. He held her face in his hands as they continued to meld mouths.

Once their lips parted, Joker inhaled deeply and looked Nora in the eyes. "Mmmm. Tell me doll, what would people think? Sweet Nora Hawthorne, fucking Gotham's most wanted man?" he asked.

She looked to the ceiling for a moment before she replied, "I don't care."

He grinned as he continued to look at her through heavy eyelids and said, "Good answer." Then he slid his fingers into the front of her panties and reconnected their kiss as Nora gasped. She moaned into his mouth and her body melted against his, the gentle strokes of his fingers bringing Nora to climax for the third time that night.

The Joker always knew what to say to get the reaction he wanted from people. That was a big part of the power he held over them. He often used his mind games to cause aporia in people, uncertainty and confusion caused by irresolvable internal confliction, to stun them and turn them against themselves. This method handily took both Batman and Harvey Dent out of the picture simultaneously. But it was different with Nora. Instead he followed her reactions to see where they would go, leading them to a place of new confidence where they both broke through what would be expected of them and gave in to their unconventional attraction. The magnetism between them fueled this fire and there was no sign of it burning out any time soon.

The two of them now laid in Nora's bed, sound asleep under the covers. Their arms and legs were tangled around each other as they slept. This novel vulnerability from Joker had been a long time coming, he was a person after all. An impulsive, strong-willed, eccentric, borderline insane person but a person nonetheless and Nora had been the only one to see this. Some form of trust had developed between them to allow intimacy at this junction between their two worlds.

The morning sun began to shine it's rays through the windows of Nora's apartment and soon the sound of her alarm disrupted the peaceful silence. Joker grunted as she stretched her hand out from under the blankets to smack the snooze button. She pulled the covers over their heads and rolled over to face him. His eyelids cracked open to look at her briefly before closing them and wrapping his arms around her to bring her head to his chest. He sighed and Nora chuckled a little. It appeared that Joker wasn't always a morning person.

"Well good morning, sunshine," she said, her cheek pressed firmly against his skin.

"Mmm and what's good about it?" he grumbled with his eyes still closed.

She chuckled again and replied, "You're in my bed."

He opened them, grinned, and said, "Ahh this is true. That is quite good."

Nora laughed and wiggled her way up to his face to give him a kiss after his grip on her loosened. Then she looked at his face and laughed again, causing him to raise his brow curiously with his sleepy eyes still half-lidded.

"Sorry. Your face paint is um, quite smudged," she giggled. The black around his eyes had blended with the white around them, turning his temples and cheeks grey while the red on his mouth had spread to his chin in a thin layer. Much of the rest of it had been rubbed off, leaving the skin on his nose and forehead peeking through.

He responded by flashing a sinister smile and saying, "Ohh I think I know the reason for tha-t," before lifting her t-shirt and ambushing Nora's exposed belly with his teeth. She broke into hysterical giggles that drowned out her alarm as it went off again. She finally caught her breath after he finished tickling her and threw the covers off of them. He then reached to turn the annoying device off before sitting on his heels, knelt over Nora, and pointing to her abdomen.

"And there it is!" he cried.

She looked down to see red, white, and grey smears all over her skin and laughed. Then she looked up at him and sighed. "I have a shift at work soon," she groaned.

"Ahh du-ty calls, hm?" he replied and she nodded her head. "Well don't let me uh stop you, doll."

"Um, you can stay here if you want," she said, sitting up from beneath him.

"Mmm I'd love to doll, but duty also calls for me."

"How are you going to leave here in the daytime without someone seeing you?" she asked, getting a little nervous.

He smirked and said "Wanna see a magic trick?" before climbing off the bed and heading into her bathroom. She heard water running in the sink as she stood and walked toward the doorway to follow him. Once she reached the bathroom, she saw him with a towel, drying his face. Her eyes widened when he moved it to reveal his clean face, no makeup.

"Tadaa!" he exclaimed, tossing the towel to the side. Nora stood there and silently stared at him. He looked so different without it but he still looked like himself. He was quite handsome. It was still a bit dark around his eyes and his scars stood out but if he kept his head down, he could blend in with a crowd. His tongue darted over his lip and he stared back, tilting his head. "Good trick, isn't i-t?" he said in a deep gravelly voice, giving her goose bumps. Nora nodded. He kept his eyes on hers and continued, "They say if you give a man a mask, he becomes his true self. Luck-y for meee, no one recognizes him without it."

Nora blinked and replied, "I like both."

A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. Then he took her face in his hands and brought his lips to hers for a lustful kiss which she hungrily returned, putting her arms around his neck. He dropped his hands from her face to put them on her waist as they separated from the kiss.

"And just howw am I supposed to get any-thing done today with you parading around like this? Hm?" he said loudly, snapping the elastic on the waistband of her panties with his fingers.

"Ow!" she chuckled, rubbing her hip. "Well how am I supposed to get ready for work with you giving out kisses like that?" she replied.

"That's fair, doll," he said, hopping up to sit on the sink top. "Just, uh, pretend I'm not here."

She raised her brow at him and said, "Ok." She walked across the bathroom and opened the glass shower door to turn the water on. Then she pulled her shirt off and slid her underwear down to land on the floor, leaving her standing there completely naked. After she kicked the small garment off of her feet, she looked over to Joker. His eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily. She smirked and stepped into the hot water to lather her hair, then bathe away the grease paint from her skin with thick soap suds. The water turned off and her arm reached over the door to grab a towel to dry herself. Steam released into the room as she opened the shower door to see Joker frozen in place, still sitting on the sink top. Then suddenly, keeping his fiery eyes on her, he slid off his perch to walk toward her.

"How long do we have?" he asked quickly, standing over her with stiff posture.

She glanced at the clock and said, "Twenty minutes."

"I can work with tha-t," he said, pulling the towel from her body and hoisting Nora up by her rear for her to wrap her legs around his waist. She giggled and he kissed her neck before carrying her into the bedroom.

"At least you won't get paint on me now," she said and they laughed as he tipped over onto the mattress.

Twelve minutes later, Nora was pulling a pale green scrub top over her head as Joker laid on his back with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. They could keep going at it like rabbits all day but she didn't want to arise suspicion at work by calling in sick too much. As she hurriedly pulled on a matching pair of pants, a thought came to her mind.

"Wait. You're not going to walk out of here in your suit are you?" she asked.

He giggled and propped himself up on his elbows. "Ah well I can't qui-te go out like this," he replied, gesturing to his bare body, only his middle covered by black boxer shorts. She cocked an eyebrow at him and he said with a smirk, "You have some, uh, spare clothes?"

She opened her dresser and after a moment of searching, she found large hooded sweatshirt. Then she went to her closet and pulled out a duffel bag. "Well, it's gonna look ridiculous but you can cover up your hair and keep your coat in the bag," she said, putting them next to him on the bed.

He chuckled and put his pants back on before throwing the sweatshirt over his head. "Alas, it's the price I pay for stealth," he giggled as he rolled up the rest of his clothes and stashed them in the duffel bag.

Bowie greeted them in the living room with a loud meow as she tip toed in from the fire escape through the open window. "There you are. Morning, Bowie," said Nora. She chirped in response and ran to her food bowl as Nora refilled it.

"This cat has you trained," said Joker.

She smiled and sighed. "I know. But she's so cute."

He chuckled and said, "Ahh the house cat, mis-chievous creatures."

"Yeah, you two have a lot in common," she replied.

Joker burst into a loud fit of laughter that Nora hoped her neighbors wouldn't hear. Then again, it was unlikely that they didn't hear their sexual escapades last night and again that morning. _They'd never believe the Joker was in my apartment anyway._

"Very clever, doll," he said, wiping a tear away from his eye as his laughter died down. Then he reached into his pants pocket to pull out a small cell phone. He licked his lips and typed out a message before putting it back in his pocket and looking to Nora.

"Tell Q and Enigma I said hello," she said.

He smirked and nodded his head, "I'll make sure they know, uh, Dr. Hawthorne sends her re-gards."

She nodded back and thought about what they had said to her at the diner yesterday. She was quite sure that at this point, they'd know exactly what went on last night. But it didn't matter. Joker must trust them to keep it to themselves so she did too.

Joker brought the hood up over his green-tinted hair and they walked to the door. She stood in front of it and looked at him. He saw the worried look on her face and made eye contact with her, putting his hand on the knob. Then he gave her a kiss on the lips before turning it and swiftly opening the door to disappear down the hall toward the stairwell, making a quick exit. She wanted to follow him so badly but turned to lock her door instead, taking deep breaths.

Nora felt a little silly but couldn't deny the empty feeling that was taking her over and he had only been gone a few seconds. She made her way to the elevator, not wanting to run into him on her way out and have to go through this again. Fortunately, it was empty and she stepped in to the hit the button for the first floor. Once the doors slid shut, a goofy smile formed on her face. _I fucked the Joker… and he liked it._ As the elevator car descended, she started to slowly sway, her movements turning into a little dance. The doors opened and several people waiting for the elevator saw Nora dancing to herself, alone in the car. She felt eyes on her and looked up. Her cheeks flushed but she brushed it off with a giggle and walked past them to head to the bus stop.

On the ride to work, she stared out the window, thinking about how he touched her. He seemed to know exactly where to put his hands, his lips, and his tongue. Her heart rate started to speed up and she felt warm tingles in her face and between her legs. She quickly brought herself back to reality and shifted her eyes around to look at the people on the bus. An elderly man read the newspaper. Several teenagers had headphones in, looking down at their phones. Another woman gazed sleepily out the window in front of her. She knew that no one could possibly know that she just got wet thinking about the Joker but she shrank back into her seat and made an effort to get ahold of herself anyway. _Christ, getting through work is gonna be interesting._

It was an eventful day so Nora was able to focus on her patients but she was in a noticeably good mood. One of her morning patients was a five year old pit bull with a pyometra that she took into surgery that afternoon. She hummed with her music that echoed through the surgery suite as she sterilely gowned and gloved then proceeded to open her instrument pack on the stand next to her. Nora liked to have music on when she did surgery, it kept her calm and focused. She continued to softly sing to herself, placing her drape over the anesthetized patient and securing a scalpel blade on its handle while Jen watched the monitors on the anesthesia cart.

"Cutting," she said through her surgical mask, making a midline incision in the skin over the belly. It didn't take long for her to open the abdominal cavity and find the large, fluid-filled uterus. She managed to carefully exteriorize one side and place her clamps. As she began to tie her ligatures onto the organ's vessels, Jen spoke up.

"So, um, how are things with your grandma?" she asked.

"Hmm?" replied Nora, keeping her eyes on her work.

Jen cleared her throat and continued, "Well you seem really happy today so I was wondering if she was doing better."

She paused for a moment before continuing to tie her suture. Nora had forgotten that she used a non-existent sick grandmother as an excuse for her foul mood the other day. She suddenly remembered the lie and stuttered, "O-oh yeah! Yes, she's doing much better now. Thanks, Jen."

"Glad to hear it," she replied.

An awkward silence floated in the air as Nora moved on to tie off the vessels at the other ovary to free it before flopping the distended organ out onto the drape. _Ok, focus._ She got back into her zone and finished up, humming along as she went. Large clamps were placed at the base of the uterus to prepare it for removal. After securing ligatures in place, she excised it and placed the heavy infected tissue aside on the table. Then she swiftly flushed the abdomen and closed it up, followed by the skin, with a long line of suture. Once the patient was safely recovered from anesthesia and resting, they proceeded to clean up the surgical suite. Nora collecting the sharp instruments and bagging up the discarded uterus, while Jen cleaned the equipment. She smiled to herself when she thought about Joker lying on the same metal table not too long ago. That night, simply being in the right place at the right time changed her life. If it was for better or for worse, it wasn't clear yet but she was enjoying the ride.

"You know, I think you'd get along with my friend, Rob. Are you dating anyone?" Jen suddenly asked.

Nora's daydream came to a screeching halt and she froze. _Does she know? How could she know? _"Um, uh. Well I dunno," she quickly stammered, making it obvious that the question made her uncomfortable.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get too personal. I just think I'm a pretty good match maker and I thought maybe you'd like a guy I know," she replied.

Nora swallowed and said, "It's ok. Um, I'm not exactly looking to date anyone right now."

"Ok! Well if you change your mind, just let me know. He's really cute," Jen said with a smile before leaving Nora alone in the surgery suite.

She blinked a few times and sighed. She was being paranoid but better safe than sorry. If anyone knew about her involvement with the Joker she'd probably lose her medical license and she certainly didn't want that. Sneaking around the Narrows, stitching up goons, and having sex with the infamous Joker on the side sounded even crazier than before when she phrased it that way in her head. But what a thrill it was. She'd never had this much excitement in her life before. After a deep breath, she went to her desk to type up her procedure notes.

Pulling out her chair, she sat down at her desk and reached for the computer mouse. Before taking it in her hand, a red envelope on her keyboard caught her eye. Written in neat handwriting, it read, "Dr. Nora Hawthorne". She turned to Jen stocking drawers and asked, "Do you know who this is from?"

Jen looked up and said, "Oh yeah, Steph up front said it's from a client who said you treated their dog last week."

Nora nodded. "Ok cool. Thanks," she said. This wouldn't be the first card she'd gotten from a client but it didn't happen that often and she didn't remember any particularly friendly people or serious cases in the last week. But then again, she sometimes didn't remember cases she'd seen a day ago so she turned her chair back around and opened it. Inside was a card with a picture of a dog that had a cast on it's leg on the front and in big letters was, "Get Well Soon". She furrowed her brow in confusion and looked at it for a moment. That didn't really make sense. A bad feeling started creeping its way into her stomach. _You're being paranoid again._ She took a breath and cautiously opened the card. A note written in red ink was scrawled across the inside of the card. It read, "Watch your back, doc. Falling in with a bad crowd can get you hurt." Nora gasped and dropped the card before breathing rapidly as she stared down at it. Her mind started racing with questions as fear ran through her veins like ice. _Who is this from? How do they know who I am? Fuck!_ With shaking hands she picked the card back up and looked it over for any clues. Nothing. The label and barcode on the back had been scratched out with something sharp and there was nothing else written anywhere. _Ok get ahold of yourself, you can't have a meltdown here._ She turned to look behind her and fortunately the treatment room was empty aside from herself. _Deeeep breaths._ She closed her eyes and took several breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her eyes opened and she tried to think rationally.

It really didn't seem likely that Joker did this. But it wasn't impossible, he wasn't known for being rational. _He wouldn't do this, right?_ She started to feel hot tears coming to her eyes just thinking about it. That didn't make sense, though. He hired her, after all. Then who would threaten her like this? One of his crew members? There was that guy that Joker killed over being hostile toward her the other night so she supposed it was plausible another one could hate her enough to do this. Who else? The note referred to her falling in with the wrong crowd. It was reasonable to assume that meant working for Joker. He seemed to have one primary enemy right now and that was Sal Maroni. _Oh God, the Mob?_ Her mind stopped whirling for a moment and she sat there in silence. It made sense. There wasn't anyone else she could think of that would care about her involvement with the Joker enough to threaten her. Threatening her was in some way a personal attack on Joker too. They must see her as a weak link because she's a woman. Or maybe they knew about her relationship with him? _But how?_ Suddenly she heard the door from the front lobby open and she hastily hid the card in her bag on the floor.

"We have a walk in here. A dog with marijuana ingestion," the receptionist, Steph, told her.

Nora tried to act casual and said, "Ok, I can see it. How long ago did it eat it and how much?"

"I'll have Jen talk to them and find out," she replied before walking back toward the lobby.

Nora blinked and let out a breath she had been holding. She had to tell Joker about this. She decided to figure out how to contact him after work. Until then, she had to try to keep calm and focus on her patients.

Closing time finally came after a few excruciatingly long hours. Nora had been frantically typing up notes and returning calls so she could leave on time, doing her best not to make Jen suspicious about her change in attitude. It seemed to be tough to hide anything from her. She left Jen and Steph to lock up, bursting through the side door and walking quickly out of the alley toward the bus stop with her eyes down. Halfway down the block, she stopped in her tracks. _Wait. This isn't safe. The Mob just threatened you, you idiot!_ Panic set in and she anxiously looked around to scan the street for anything suspicious. The evening sun was low in the sky and cars were parked down both sides of the street. She didn't see anyone else out on foot and this made her feel incredibly vulnerable. The businesses nearby were all closed, leaving nowhere for her to get off the street. Her breathing started turning rapid with her panic level rising and hear head buzzing as she eyed the parked cars around her for anyone watching. Her eye caught a black SUV with tinted windows across the street. _Fuck fuck fuck. Ok you're ok. _She looked to the cars passing by and saw the welcome sight of a yellow taxi approaching. She gasped, her arm flying into the air and thankfully it pulled over. A sense of relief washed over her as she climbed in.

"64th and Bowery please," she quickly told the driver.

The pointed nosed man cocked an eyebrow at her in the rearview mirror and asked, "You sure?" Nora nodded. "Ok," he replied.

She sat back in the seat and sighed. Once she got to the Narrows, she planned to try to call Joker from the phone he gave her. She watched buildings pass by the taxi window and thought about how what he was going to do when he found out about this. It was likely he'd be pissed off. Someone must have told Maroni about her. Maybe he had a man on the inside in Joker's crew. She searched for any feelings of regret for getting herself into this. It seemed that her life may be in danger but she didn't have any second thoughts. This could mean her feelings for the Joker went beyond physical desire.

The taxi turned down the bridge into the Narrows, the buildings becoming progressively more dilapidated. But instead of taking 64th toward Bowery, the car then made a turn down a narrow alleyway. _No. No no no! You idiot!_ Nora's heart dropped like a stone and she swung her head around to look toward the driver after pulling on the door handle to find it locked. He put the car in park and turned around to point a gun at her. She froze and quickly put her hands up in front of her with her eyes wide.

"Alright, lady. Nice and easy. You're comin' with me. Don't do anything stupid and no harm will come to ya," he said. She nodded her head, trying to control her ragged breathing. "Keep ya hands up and do what I say." He got out of the car and opened her door, keeping his pistol pointed at her.

"Walk," he said, with the gun to her back. He led her to a door under a green awning where he knocked twice. The door opened, revealing two large men wearing black suits. They nodded at each other and took Nora down a hall, into what looked like a dining room. It had dim lighting from stained glass lamps hanging from the low ceiling, round tables with red and white checkered table cloths, and a dark wood bar on the side wall. It smelled like tomatoes and basil. One of the men in suits put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump, to sit her into a chair at a small table. The man with the gun stood behind her, keeping his aim on the back of her head, as the other two stood behind the empty chair across from her. Nora kept her hands in her lap, counting her breaths in her head in an effort to keep herself composed. The swinging door to the kitchen opened and a man with silver hair came walking through. He silently made his way to the table and sat down. He wore a grey suit with a yellow tie and had gold rings on some of his fingers.

He made eye contact with her and asked, "Do you know who I am?" Nora remained silent, unable to speak as she stared back at him. He blinked at her and motioned to the man behind her. She felt the barrel of the gun against her back. "I'll ask you again. Do you know how I am?" he said, starting to raise his voice.

She took a breath in and stuttered, "Y-you're Salvatore Maroni."

He nodded his head slowly and said, "And you are Nora Hawthorne. You hang around with the clown."

Calling him a clown struck something in Nora and she felt a twinge of anger burning in her stomach. "Yes," she replied plainly, a dirty look forming on her face.

"As you may know the clown and I don't exactly get along," said Maroni. She had to stop herself from scoffing out loud. "He may have made you think he's some kind of fuckin' Robin Hood but that 'aint the case. If you forgot what he did to Gotham just months ago, he's a dangerous man."

Nora frowned and spoke up, "What do you want from me?"

Maroni grinned and replied, "Well, doctor, I trust that you have some human decency. If you do, you'll think hard about this. Bring the clown to us. Get him here and we'll take care of him. His circus won't tear this city apart no more."

She had to think quickly. Maybe he didn't know about her romantic involvement with Joker or he wouldn't waste his time trying to get her on his side. Don't refuse outright though, that'll just make him suspicious. "How would I get him here?" Nora asked.

"You leave that to me, doc. You think about it. Be at Gotham Freight Shipping in three days, 9 pm, alone. If ya got any integrity left," he said. Then he abruptly stood and disappeared back into a dark adjoining room. The man with the gun lifted Nora from her chair by her elbow. He pulled her back through the dining room and outside to the alley. Suddenly, the butt of the gun smacked her across the face and stars to flashed before her eyes. The door slammed and before she could react, she was alone.

Nora looked down both sides of the alley. The taxi was gone and there was no sign of Maroni or his men. She leaned against the brick wall and started panting, letting out all of the fear she had been holding in. Her hand shook as she brought it to her sore face, trying to calm down after letting her panic run its course. She forced in a few deep breaths and took another look around. There was a camera above the door they had come through. Her frozen muscles came to life and propelled her down the alley and to the street. She had to get her bearings and figure where she was. Behind Maroni's supposed hideout was a meat packing plant and a lot full of parked semi-trucks. Looking up, she saw a blank billboard sat atop the building. _Ok, remember the landmarks and tell J. _Her heart pounded. She couldn't fight the urge to run anymore and took off down the street toward the corner. _Meat packing plant, trucks, billboard, alley door._ She repeated the mantra in her head as she ran. Once she reached the corner, she stopped and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. It was dark and the street lights weren't very bright. Nora had never been to this part of the Narrows before and had no idea where she was. A lump formed in her throat and tears started to come to her eyes. _What am I gonna do?_

The weight of Joker's phone in her pocket caught her attention and she quickly pulled it out. She looked at the lit screen and opened the contacts list. There was nothing. She groaned and checked the call history. "Unknown Number" appeared all the way down the list. Taking a deep breath, she selected it and hit the call button. The ring-back tone came through the speaker and she quickly held it to her ear. It rang for a few seconds before she heard a dial tone. _No!_ She lowered the phone from her ear and a tear ran down her cheek and she slumped onto the sidewalk. Her heart ached, overcome with disappointment and hopelessness. Shame began to rear its ugly head when suddenly, the phone in her hand started ringing, startling her. She gasped as "Unknown Number" appeared on the screen and she swiftly answered the call.

"H-Hello?" she stammered.

"Nora," the sound of Joker's voice came through the speaker.

She closed her eyes with relief and said, "I need help."

Song for this chapter: Fire by Vince Staples


	10. Chapter 10: Duty Calls

**Chapter Ten: Duty Calls**

"Where are you?" Joker asked her.

Nora sat on the sidewalk in the dark with the phone to her ear and replied, "I-I don't know." Her head felt foggy and she couldn't think straight.

He was silent for a moment and then said, "Are you alone?"

"Yes," she said, bringing her knees to her chest.

"I'm coming to get you, doll. Stay where you are and don't hang up," he told her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and said, "Ok." The phone went silent but the call hadn't ended. She did what he told her and didn't hang up, keeping the receiver against her ear just in case. Nora breathed deeply and put her head between her knees as a wave of nausea came over her. Fear was starting to release its grip on her now that she knew Joker was on his way but her muscles remained tight and a cold sweat covered her forehead. She focused on breathing and listened for any noise in the silence around her as the minutes passed. Nothing but the sound of distant traffic. Wherever she was, it must have been secluded. Suddenly, she heaved and emptied her stomach onto the ground in front of her. Moments later, she caught her breath as headlights came around the corner and shined in her direction. Her head pounded and she shielded her eyes from the bright light. _Oh shit, please let it be him. Please. _

A black car pulled up and the passenger door opened. Joker came rushing over to her as Enigma rounded the front of the car from the driver's side. He knelt down and took her face in his hands, a serious look on his at the sight of her appearance. A large blue bruise was forming over her left cheek and temple, her skin was pale, and she was drenched in sweat.

"Joker," she said, her eyelids becoming heavy.

He furrowed his brow and said, "Hey, look at me. Can you hear me?"

She fluttered her eyes open and mumbled, "Mhmm." Her adrenaline had worn off and she was feeling faint. Enigma came to her other side and the two of them lifted her from the ground by her arms. They helped her walk to the car where Joker opened the back door and carefully lowered her into the seat before coming around the other side and climbing in next to her. He was dressed in his usual attire, minus the coat and gloves, with a fresh coat of greasepaint on his face. After rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he leaned over her and brushed away the hair that was stuck to her clammy forehead. Enigma started to drive and Nora let her head fall onto Joker's shoulder as silent tears ran down her cheeks. He put his arm around her and carefully wiped her tears away with his thumb.

It didn't take long to reach the warehouse where Enigma pulled up next to the side door. Joker delicately lifted her head from his shoulder to get out of the car. Then he opened her door and bent down to pick her up. Nora was surprised at first, but then she put her arms around his neck as he carried her inside with one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back. He brought her to a couch where he laid her down and pulled up a chair next to her. A sharp pain racked through her head, causing Nora to wince and groan. Enigma threw a pill bottle to Joker then brought over a glass of water.

"Here, take this," said Joker, putting a pill in her hand and sliding his arm under her back to help her sit up as he placed the water glass in her other hand.

She looked at it for a second and quietly asked, "What is it?"

"Oxy. You'll feel better," he answered, his tongue probing his scars.

She tossed the pill in her mouth and took a sip of water to swallow it before laying back on the couch. A twinge or nausea hit her stomach and she hoped she would keep the pain killer down. _Fuck, I think I have a concussion._ She took deep breaths with her eyes closed until the sick feeling passed. Then she opened them and looked to Joker. She had never seen that expression on his face before. He looked worried.

He leaned in to hold her chin in his hand and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

She swallowed and said, "Maroni. H-He knows who I am."

Joker's face morphed into a scowl and he breathed heavily. Then he noticed Nora's eye widen and he blinked slowly before softening his expression, like has was trying not to scare her. "Tell me every-thing, doll," he said gently after relaxing his jaw.

She told him about the card she got at work, the taxi, the restaurant, Maroni's threat, the billboard, and the alley by the meat packing plant. "The cab driver, he… he hit me with his gun," she said, finishing her story.

Joker had been expressionless, except for the worry in his eyes, staring at her the whole time. He moved his hand from her chin before sitting on the couch beside her to carefully lift her head for it to rest on his lap. He looked straight ahead while a deadly look formed on his face and he said, "Ohhh he'll get what's comin' to him, doll." His tone was dark and vengeful. "Tha-t was a lowww blow, my Mafia friend," he growled.

Nora wasn't sure what to say so she remained silent. The pain in her head started to subside and she began to feel relaxed. Her breathing slowed and she closed her eyes, then feeling Joker's fingers running through her hair. It gave her goosebumps down her arms and her mouth curved into a small smile. She felt herself melt into the support beneath her as she sighed. Sweet relief poured over her and her muscles loosened, a warm feeling making its way from her toes up to her face.

"Feeling better, doll?" he asked her.

She nodded a little. "Mmm," she hummed in reply. Joker giggled and continued to comb her hair with his fingers as she welcomed the effects of the narcotic. The ordeal she'd been through was not forgotten but now she felt safe. If she was crazy for being comfortable with her head in Joker's lap, she didn't want to be sane. Was it his fault she was now caught up in his rivalry with Maroni? Not really. She could have ran in the beginning. She could have gone to the police or left town but she didn't. Nora accepted his offer because of her need to get close to him and if this was a part of it, she could accept that.

"Salll Maro-ni will get what's comin' to him," she heard Joker's gravelly voice say before drifting off to sleep.

Nora suddenly awoke in Joker's bed, throwing the sheets off of herself and quickly sitting up to frantically glance around the room, looking like she was ready to run. Joker was sitting at his desk, scribbling something in a notebook when Nora startled awake. He stood from his chair and came over to the bed to sit beside her. She realized where she was and flopped back into the blankets, catching her breath.

"I-I dreamt I was still in that alley," she sighed. "Thank you."

He leaned over her to look her in the eyes and nodded his head slowly, "Of course, doll." Then he looked at the bruise on her face and frowned. The look in his eyes was soft, but intense at the same time. "Now. What to do with old Sal, hm? What to dooo with the cowar-d who thinks he can get away with this?" he said. Nora knew he'd be angry when he found out about what Maroni had done but it seemed like he was holding it back when he was around her. She didn't want him to explode. But she also couldn't help but feel a bit… flattered that the Joker was pissed off on her behalf. Sure Maroni had done it to make a move on Joker himself, but he used Nora to do it and that made it so much worse.

"Are you gonna kill him?" she asked.

He smirked and replied with a low rumble from his throat, "Ohhh no. Not ye-t. He deserves sooo much more." Nora felt tingles run down her spine, but it wasn't from fear. Arousal began to build in her core. _Did that just turn me on?_ It seemed to come out of nowhere but she couldn't help it. It was so sexy, the way he said that. His voice when he talked like that.

She looked up at him leaning over top of her and said, "Um. Can you say that again?"

He raised his eyebrows before his smirk grew wider. "He. Deserrves. Sooo much more," he growled even lower as he leaned toward her.

Nora grabbed both sides of his shirt collar and pulled him down to crash her lips against his. They began to feverishly kiss each other, separating for only seconds at a time to quickly pull off pieces of clothing as they panted. It didn't take long for them to disrobe and tangle their bodies together, they had no intention of taking it slow. Joker moved his mouth to Nora's neck as he entered her and they both gasped. She took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. He stared back and devilish smiles came over both of their faces before they reconnected their mouths to devour each other as he thrusted. A symphony of soft groans and moaning filled the room, the two of them reveling in the feeling of him inside of her. Then Joker lowered his fingertips between her legs and rubbed circles, causing Nora's jaw to drop and she cried out, "Oh my God, J!" as she climaxed. This sent him over the edge too, a deep grunt escaping from his chest. He collapsed over top of her with his face against her neck. She smiled and giggled as they both caught their breath.

"You naughty little minx," he purred against her skin, before propping himself up to bring his lips to hers for a zealous kiss.

A few hours later, the sun began to rise. The two of them laid naked under the sheets with Nora curled up against Joker laying on his back. Her eyes were closed and she breathed softly, fast asleep. He had his arm over her, holding her close to his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Why had he gotten her involved? Why did he care? He could have killed her that night. After she patched him up he could have killed her and been done with it. But he didn't want to. She didn't deserve that. She didn't fight him, she just helped him, practically with no questions asked. Really she was the only one to ever help him without some ulterior motive and he didn't understand why. But he didn't feel like he had to. He made her part of his team to keep her around because she made him feel something. Lust? Definitely. But not just that. There was a closeness that he couldn't have with anyone else after she kept him alive that night and now he kept finding more reasons he liked her. Also it seemed like she wasn't afraid of him anymore and that's never happened before. He chose to ignore the possibility of it putting him at a disadvantage and see where this goes. But she wasn't supposed to get hurt.

He looked down at the dark bruise on Nora's face and his blood began to boil, his face turning into a grimace. If the Italian had the audacity to drag her into this, then he'd pay for it. Maroni was known for having men of his undercover. Scouts, if you could call them that. Joker ran a tight operation and knew where everyone on his crew came from. But some men can be easily bought.

Nora stirred, stretching her legs before opening her eyes and blinking slowly. She felt Joker's warm skin against her cheek and smiled as she closed her eyes again.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" he asked her.

Nora scrunched her face up and replied, "My head hurts a bit."

Joker ran his hand up and down her arm. "Sorry, doll," he said.

"It's not your fault," she said, stretching her arm across him. "I knew it could be dangerous to accept your offer. But I did anyway. I think because I wanted to be around you." She hadn't really intended to confess that to him then but it just came out.

He raised his brow in surprise and looked down at her. "Mmm is that so?" She sheepishly nodded. "Wellll, I must say there was some, uh, similar influence be-hind the offer."

Nora lifted her head to look at him. "Really?" she asked.

He gazed back at her and nodded. She smiled a little, then laid her head back down on his chest and held onto him, as Joker wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Words were no longer needed. They laid together in silence, enjoying each other's warmth, their chests steadily rising and falling with each relaxed breath. It seemed like over an hour passed before there was a knock at the door.

Joker sighed and lifted his head to yell toward the annoyance, "WHAT?"

A muffled voice from the other side of the door said, "Sorry, boss. Just thought you should know that the crew, they all here now."

"Alright. Five minutes," he replied. Then he ran his fingers through Nora's hair to tilt her face toward his. "Duty caalls, my doll," he purred.

She nodded and said, "I understand."

His tongue ran over his lip. "Wanna watch?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Nora gave him a confused look. "Watch what?" she replied.

The corner of Joker's mouth stretched into a crooked grin and he said in a deep voice, "Mmm you'll see."

_Ahhh that voice._ Nora returned his fiery stare. She was quite sure whatever she was going to see was going to be violent. She'd already seen Joker kill someone once. She hadn't forgotten who he is. But, she couldn't deny she was curious. Plus, Moore decided to keep the clinic open late on weekends so she wasn't due at work for a few hours. "Ok," she said.

Joker's grin grew wider before he climbed out of bed to pull on his pants. Then he gathered Nora's clothes and tossed them to her. She quickly got dressed, cleaned the smeared greasepaint from her skin, and brushed her hair with her fingers as he buttoned his shirt and waistcoat. Then they headed for the door. He put his hand on the knob and looked to Nora to flash her a dark smile before opening it. The warehouse was bright and the cool morning breeze blew through the high windows. About twenty men were scattered around, standing or sitting, waiting for Joker. Nora followed him down the stairs from his second floor landing, prompting many of the men to turn to look at her, some of them commenting to each other as they watched. She stared straight ahead and pretended not to see them as she felt her skin flushing pink on her neck and cheeks. _God, maybe this was a bad idea._ They continued to eyeball her like a piece of meat in her scrubs, which she honestly didn't think flattered her much, until Joker stopped in his tracks and loudly pulled a chair out from a nearby table. Then he politely gestured for her to sit. She was a little confused, but that was never unusual around Joker so she sat down, her hands lightly gripping the seat on either side of her thighs. She knew he wasn't going to hurt her but she couldn't help but feel anxious as the tension began to mount in the room. He stepped up to stand in front of her with his back to her, then nodded to Enigma and Q who had been waiting nearby.

They each had a large shotgun over their shoulder, which they used to point at the men in the warehouse as they rounded them up, quickly correcting any resistance with a jab to the gut with the butt of the gun. Once they had what was over a dozen men lined up in front of Joker, they stepped to the side and the warehouse fell deadly silent. Nora braced herself for Joker to yell. Instead, he ran his hand through his hair and turned around to face her. He had on a serious look and his eyes trailed down to the large bruise on her face. It began on her cheek bone and curved dark blue and brown across her temple to her hairline. She blinked at him and kept a straight face as she saw the intensity growing behind his eyes. It was that anger she knew was there last night.

Joker walked to stand next to her and again faced the line-up of men in front of them. He knelt down and gently lifted her chin with his fingers, licking his lips. "You all remember Doctor Nora? Hm? Well it seeems our friend Sal paid her a litt-le visit. Left this beauti-ful face of hers like this," he said, turning her battered temple toward them. Then he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and slowly walked back toward the line-up with his hands behind his back. Nora kept a solemn expression on her face and scanned her eyes down the row of men in front of her. Most of them kept a straight face, a few others looked as though they'd seen a ghost.

"Now. Tell me, gentle-men. Just how did the Italian know who our dear Nora is?" he continued, walking down the row and staring straight in the face of a few of the men. "Anyone? Hm?" he asked. His question was met with silence as a few men shuddered where they stood. "I see. Welll let's just try that again."

Then Joker grabbed the hand of the trembling man in front of him, took hold of his middle finger, and looked him in the eye before suddenly forcing it up and back to break it. The man screamed and held his hand to his chest, sweat beginning to cover his brow. Nora jumped in her chair and winced as she watched the man double over in pain. She didn't want anyone innocent, if you could call them that, to get hurt but it wasn't her place to interject. The room was still silent aside from the man's cries. The men stood still and each continued to look straight ahead. Joker waited a moment before approaching another terrified man to then quickly wrench his pointer finger out of it's socket. A second series of screams filled the air. He walked down the line-up again and stopped in front of a tall, skinny man near the end who was sweating profusely. He leaned in to stare intensely at his trembling face before pulling a switchblade from his pocket and taking the man's pinky finger to press the blade to it. The pale man next to him suddenly shouted, "Ok! Ok. It was us. Maroni offered us cash for telling him who she was. A couple guys from his crew found out we was workin' for you and talked to us. We split it with those guys," he finished, pointing to the men with broken fingers. Joker slowly turned his head to stare at the confessor. The man started to breathe heavily and looked as though he was on the verge of tears. Then Joker forced his knife through the flesh of the trembling man's finger. He cried out as blood poured from the wound and the knife then suddenly lodged into the side of other man's neck. As rapidly as that happened, Enigma handed Joker a pistol, which he used to shoot the two men in front of him in the chest followed by the other two clutching their injured hands. Their bodies fell to the floor and the warehouse was silent again. Joker dropped the severed pinky finger and tucked the gun into his waistband behind his back. "Now that problem has been solve-d, I trust none of you have anything else to contri-bute to our, uh, little meeting?" he said, calmly.

The remaining men stood still and one replied, "No, boss."

"Ah, good! As you were, gentlemenn," said Joker. Then he turned to face Nora, placing his knife back into his pocket as the group cautiously dispersed. Her eyes were a bit wide, staring at him. She tried not to look at the bodies on the floor or the blood that now covered his hands. He stared back, studying her expression before pulling up a chair in front of her. He sat down and leaned forward with his forearms resting on his legs as he kept his eyes tilted up at Nora.

"You figured out who did it. How?" she asked.

His tongue darted out to the corner of his mouth and he replied, "They gave themselves away, doll." The men he approached and later killed in the line-up were the only ones that looked genuinely afraid. "A guilty person shows it on their face if you look close e-nough," he said.

She nodded and glanced over to see the corpses of the traitors being loaded into a van. "A little, uh, gift for Maroni," she heard Joker say as she watched the lifeless bodies get their faces painted like his. He wouldn't hesitate to kill his own men if he had to.

She sat and thought through how to feel about what just happened. It was true that it was because of those men that she was now being targeted by the Mob. Joker made sure the other men knew what would happen if they fell for the same ploy. But she couldn't help but feel a bit of responsibility for this. They died because they told Maroni about her and if she'd never gotten involved, it wouldn't have happened. But no, this wasn't her fault. There was no way she could have known that would happen. Besides, they still would have been asked for some sort of information. If it wasn't about her, it would have been something else. On top of that, they knew that they were putting her in danger when she was hired to help them but they did it anyway. For money. Nora sighed and looked back to Joker. "I guess they deserved it," she said.

Q and Enigma took Nora home for her to get some rest before work. Before walking with her to the car, Joker washed the blood from his hands. He lead her through the warehouse with his hand at the small of her back and stared into her eyes for a silent goodbye as he opened her door for her. The ride to her apartment was quiet until Q said, "Looks like he'll kill for ya, doc."

She looked to the rearview mirror to see his eyes on her and said, "I don't know if that was entirely for me."

"Whys that?" asked Q.

"Well he had to find out who gave Maroni that information somehow," she said.

Enigma spoke up and said, "Yeah, information about you."

Nora felt a twinge of anxiety in her stomach at his tone. She cleared her throat and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, doc," he said. "We like ya, but there's this new leverage Maroni's got now. He gets to you, he gets to Joker and it's too easy."

Her heart dropped and she took a deep breath before saying, "I understand that. But you can't expect me to have known that would happen."

Q replied, "Nah, it 'aint like that. We know you didn't mean for that to happen back there. But you can keep more from happenin'."

"So you're saying you want me to stay away?" she said abruptly, feeling anger bubbling up inside her.

"It's nothin' personal. We just lookin' out for our boss is all" said Enigma. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Maybe just until the dust clears, ya know? We'll tell Joker you said you need some time off since you're hurt."

Nora couldn't keep her anger held in and raised her voice to them, "You know this isn't really your place, right? Planning this behind his back? Why don't you leave it up to him to figure this out?"

"We did. He's gotta know this the best way to keep everything from fallin' apart but he won't tell you. So we're tellin' you for him," Q replied, matching her volume.

She sat silent in the back seat, taking a few deep breaths. The past twelve hours had been exhausting and her head was starting to pound again, she couldn't handle this right now. "I gotta get out of this car," she said. "Pull over, I'm walking from here."

"Nora," Enigma said.

"Pull over!" she yelled. Q slowed the car and pulled up to the curb. Nora pulled on the handle and kicked the door open.

She climbed out and Q said, "Think about it, Nora. We know you care for him, you wanna keep him safe. This the best way," before she slammed the door and the car continued down the street.

Nora stood at the curb and breathed heavily, fighting the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. This wasn't something she expected from Q and Enigma. She thought they were on her side. They were right but she didn't want them to be. She started walking quickly down the street, her apartment still a mile away. Her emotions continued to run rampant and she was unable to reason with herself. She knew it might only have to stay away for a short time but what if it wasn't? What if he took it the wrong way? Or if he got hurt, got caught and went to prison, or what if he got killed? Nora stopped walking and stood still for a moment. She'd known the Joker for only a short time but he'd taken over her life and her mind in that time. She couldn't stay away if she tried. It was like she was drawn to him by a strong invisible force, pulling at her all the time and it had only gotten stronger. She had gotten herself in deep and had no desire to fight it left at this point.

She made it home in enough time to leave fresh food out for Bowie and shower before work. In bathroom the mirror, she saw the bruise on her face for the first time. It had begun to turn nasty colors and it stung when she lightly touched it, causing her to hiss through her teeth. Her reflection stared back at her as her thoughts continued to relentlessly swirl in her head. Should she or shouldn't she? What would she tell him if she was able to contact him? Nora put on a fresh pair of scrubs and went to the bus stop, keeping her eyes on the ground with the afternoon sun beating down on her. She decided not to let herself go crazy by asking herself "what ifs" one after the other. It felt painful to be away from him and waiting for Joker to get in touch with her was an extremely unappealing option but she decided she'd stick it out until she couldn't stand it anymore. Then she'd find him somehow and straighten things out.

Once she got to work, she saw everyone gathered around the small television in the lobby. As she approached to see what was going on, she heard Joker's name spoken by the news anchor. _Oh no, what happened? _Gotham Tonight was broadcasting a breaking news story that the Joker was officially back in Gotham. "Witnesses have reported that the notorious criminal, the Joker, is back in Gotham City. The bodies of four young men, each with the Joker's signature face paint and one missing a pinky finger, were found sitting upright at a table inside a local Italian restaurant, discovered to be owned by the Maroni family. The bodies were found positioned as though they were playing Poker, each with a hand of Joker cards, by Salvatore Maroni's cousin, Nicholas Maroni, when he arrived to open the establishment for business this afternoon. Police are currently searching the scene for any clues but his whereabouts are currently unknown," said the voice on the screen.

While coworkers began to frantically discuss what this meant for them and the city's safety, Nora snuck past them to the treatment area where she was alone and quietly smiled to herself.

Song for this chapter: Howl by Florence + The Machine


	11. Chapter 11: Sparks

**Thank you for reading! I love reviews and I'd love to hear what you think! I hope everyone is well and staying safe**

***Edited for typos :)**

**Chapter Eleven: Sparks**

Nora's night at work was, fortunately, pretty uneventful aside from the unrest the news story caused amongst her colleagues and seemingly everyone else in Gotham. As soon as everyone finished their discussion about the news, they filtered back into the treatment area to find her at her desk. The topic of conversation then immediately shifted to the bruise on her face, of course. Nora was expecting that so she had a detailed story about a mugging down the street from her apartment rehearsed and ready in her mind. Matt, the shift lead at the front desk, voiced his concern that the Joker's presence in Gotham again would increase the crime rate and used Nora's fictional mugging as an easily accessible example. What they didn't know was that Joker had already been in town for over two weeks and had remained below the radar until that point. She obviously kept this detail to herself and quietly avoided the conversation. His goal this time around didn't really involve normal citizens much, unlike before when he needed them to lure out Batman and Harvey Dent. This time he had a vendetta with Maroni.

Picking out troublemakers and getting rid of them seemed to be his primary motivation and Nora wasn't really sure why. Maybe this city was his home and he became the Joker to pull the weeds that he believed were killing Gotham. This was just Nora's theory after she got to know him a bit. Things really did calm down after Batman ran off and the corrupt cops on the GCPD were exposed, after all. He just had no regard for anyone's rules and didn't care how he dealt with anyone who got in his way. Plus, he critically weakened the Mob operation in town when he burned their money. He certainly didn't have the patience to wait for a legal system he didn't even believe in to take care of it so he took matters into his own hands. But Maroni managed to hang on so here they were. What he was going to do once he took out Maroni, she really wasn't sure.

Once her evening shift was ending, Nora looked forward to having a couple of days off. Her head was hurting much less by then but her bruise was pretty sore. Suddenly she realized that she had to get home somehow and it was after eleven o'clock by then. Her brush with Sal understandably made her cautious about being out alone after dark.

"Um. Hey Matt? Did you drive to work today?" she asked.

He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and held them up as he said, "Yep. I was gonna offer you a ride after what happened."

She smiled a little and replied, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

The drive to her place was a bit awkward. Nora didn't talk to Matt much but was grateful for the ride. He asked her if she would be alright in her apartment alone that night. It was a bit of a creepy thing to ask, but she figured he meant well and told him she would be fine. Secretly, she was a little nervous. If Maroni knew where she worked then he could easily know where she lived. She was exhausted after everything that happened over the past few days and just couldn't seem to come up with any kind of plan if a threat came her way. She didn't own any weapons, just kitchen knives. Maybe she could manage to throw a good punch or two.

Matt pulled his little blue sedan up to the curb outside Nora's building and offered to walk her up. She had to stop herself from scoffing at his persistence and politely declined.

"I'll be ok, thanks though. The elevator is right there," she said.

He nodded and said, "Ok well stay safe, doctor Hawthorne."

"Thanks Matt," she replied before closing the passenger door and searching for her keys in her bag. When she unlocked the front door to the building, she noticed that Matt had waited at the curb until she was inside. It made her a bit anxious to have him be so concerned about her. She didn't know him that well in the first place so it was a little strange and his paranoia just made hers worse.

She hit the button for the elevator and subtly glanced around her, scanning the lobby for anything or anyone suspicious. Nothing seemed unusual, not that she was expecting the Mob boss to leave any obvious traces behind if he had been there. As she rode the elevator up to her floor, her unease began to get worse. What if someone from Maroni's crew was inside her apartment, waiting for her? No, she still had two days until the deadline he gave her, that wouldn't really make sense. But nothing that she'd experienced lately made sense.

Nora slowly approached her door with her key in her hand and lifted it to the lock, her heart pumping a bit faster. Doing her best to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she quietly opened the door. It was dark, just like she left it, and she couldn't hear a sound. She quickly reached for the light switch to flick the overhead light on. The living room and kitchen were promptly illuminated, showing nothing out of the ordinary. _Alright, so I'm paranoid._ Despite her conflicted feelings about wanting to feel safe while still maintaining her dignity, Nora armed herself with her largest kitchen knife and searched her apartment. Closets, cabinets, the shower, the fire escape, everywhere was clear. Once she was sure that she was alone, she doubled checked that the deadbolt was secure and that the windows were locked. The knife was then stowed away in her bed side drawer where it was easily accessible, just in case. Bowie showed up through her cat door before long so she fed her before getting ready for bed and settled in for what turned out to be a night of fitful sleep. She woke up so often to sit up and listen for any sounds, that the cat left her bed to find somewhere more peaceful. Eventually, her exhaustion made her able to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time. Her eyes flew open once again and by then, the sun had come up.

She was relieved that daylight had returned and felt safer already. Then she heard a noise from the other room. Her heart leapt in her chest and she carefully grabbed the knife from the drawer as her hand shook. After silently slipping out of bed, Nora tip-toed to her bedroom door and placed her other hand on the knob to slowly turn it. The latch clicked and she held her breath to listen. She could only hear her own blood rushing in her ears. With the knife readied, she let her breath go and cracked the door open to peek into the room beyond it. Past the empty living room, she saw a figure in the kitchen facing away from her with a hexagon patterned shirt and green tinted hair.

Nora sharply gasped and dropped the knife, making a loud clattering sound. Joker turned around with a casual look on his face and raised his brow at her. "Jesus Christ, you scared me!" she huffed, catching her breath.

"Oh I don't know if I deserve that title but thank you," he giggled. "Miss me, doll?"

She put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes before letting out a breathy chuckle. "I did, actually," she replied with a smile. Her adrenaline rush had drowned out her senses and now that it was dissipating, she could smell coffee as she stood in the doorway.

"You made coffee?" she asked.

He responded by picking up two mugs from the counter to walk toward her and hand her one. Then he crouched down to pick up the kitchen knife and inspected it before rolling his eyes over to look at Nora.

"Yes, I know. I'm paranoid," said Nora.

He looked surprised and said, "Mmm, under prepar-ed would be the phrase I'd use." She gave him a confused expression and he continued, "You know how to fire a gun, doll?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "Uh, no."

"Ah, well we'll remedy tha-t," he said, before nonchalantly taking a sip of his coffee.

Nora subconsciously mirrored the action and took a sip as well. The coffee was smooth and very strong, it didn't surprise her at all that the Joker liked strong coffee. She swallowed the rich, black drink and said, "So you came here to look after me?"

"In a way, yes. Couldn't leave you to, uh, wait out Maro-ni all by your lonesome, hm?" he said, looking at the bruise on her face.

She smiled and nodded, then furrowed her brow before asking him, "Wait. How did you get in here?"

A smile pulled at his cheeks as he replied in a low voice, "Ahhh I have my wayys, doll."

She just stared back at him and blinked. Then he licked his lips as he shifted his eyes over toward the windows and Nora looked to see the window to the fire escape wide open. She looked back to him with her mouth open and he said, "Ah haaa, the doctor has been puzzled! C'mon doll, you know I never let a lock get in my way," he stated.

"Well yeah, ok. It's just… it doesn't feel safe here now," she said, continuing to gaze at the open window.

"That's because it isn-t," Joker replied.

She paused, then looked back to him with worried eyes and said, "What do I do then?"

Joker put his mug down to place his hands on either side of her face and stare into her eyes. His expression was blank, she couldn't tell what he was thinking and just stared back. Suddenly, he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She closed her eyes and melted into it. He laced his fingers into her hair and she gripped the collar of his waistcoat as they continued to devour each other. The world around them seemed to stand still and Nora's senses were consumed by him. The taste of his mouth on her tongue, the smell of greasepaint and smoke, and feeling of the soft scars on his lip against hers as she slid her arms around his neck. Without breaking their kiss, Joker then took her hand in his, held her at her waist, and swiftly dipped her toward the floor, like they were ballroom dancing. Her eyes flew open and she held on tight to the back of his neck.

He freed his mouth from hers, popped his lips, and said, "You stay with me."

Her eyes went wide with surprise. "What?" she asked.

"The, uh, accommo-dations aren't much doll, bu-t Maroni isn't gonna find you there," he replied, still holding her parallel to the floor.

He managed to astonish Nora in new ways all the time. It certainly wasn't expected of the Joker to make an offer like that. She was… flattered. Has he ever had a woman stay with him before? Suddenly, just the thought of Joker with another woman struck Nora in her heart with a pang of jealousy. _Damn, what is wrong with me?_ Then she thought seriously about it. She probably would be safer at the warehouse. Even though it was in the Narrows, it was full of armed men to stand between her and Maroni. But, the same armed men are all criminals. Criminals that work for the criminal she was now sleeping with. Then the thought of spending each night with him entered her mind and she said, "Ok, yeah. Thanks, J."

Joker grinned, kissed her on the lips, and quickly pulled her back up to stand in front of him. "I'm thrilled, doll. I really am," he said with a grin, clearly pleased. "Even, uh, better than a house call."

Nora smiled at him. Life had become so strange, but she liked it. It used to be predictable and a bit mundane, even at the clinic. Joker certainly wasn't predictable. She didn't want to get her hopes up so she'd been denying it, but she was starting to allow herself to believe he cared about her. Why else would he offer for her to stay with him? And he took care of her when she got hurt. Then she heard Q's words echo in the back of her mind. _Looks like he'll kill for ya, doc._ She felt a nervous drop of her stomach when she remembered what Q and Enigma said yesterday.

Her expression changed to reflect her sudden apprehension and she asked, "Um. Did Q and Enigma say anything to you after I left yesterday?"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Q and Enig-ma for-get who they work for. They must think I'm dim witt-ed."

Nora felt a spark of relief. "What did they tell you?"

"Ohhh, after sifting through the lies, that our dear Nora was putting our operation at risk. Tha-t she was an easy target for mister Maroni and she'll bring him right to our door," he said. She looked down at the floor as he spoke. Joker then lifted her chin with his fingers and looked her in the eyes before continuing, "Bu-t what they didn't know is that the doctor is more valued than they are."

"Really?" she said, looking back at him with creased brows.

He nodded and said, "Oh, yes. Her talents are not to be taken for grant-ed. In fact, they should be expanded. Challenges arise, we adapt to meet them. You're not a liability, doll."

Nora responded with a huge smile. No one has ever really made her feel important the way he did. Her part in his plans seemed to be changing but she had a feeling he'd had something in mind for her long before now. He wasn't letting Maroni get his way and she didn't want to let him either. "Expanded. Expanded how?" she asked.

He grinned back and said, "We're gonna have a crash course in weapons use, my dear."

After changing into dark jeans and black t-shit, Nora hurriedly stuffed some clothes, scrubs, and essentials in some duffle bags he gave her while Joker stood in her living room. As she packed away her toothbrush, she heard the news from the tv in the other room, "It has been discovered that Salvatore Maroni, who had previously been presumed dead after a car accident earlier this year, is alive and well. The man known for being the suspected head of the Falconi crime family has been living in the Narrows and is currently in police custody after a cache of guns and drugs were found inside the family's restaurant. The illegal items were found during a search prompted by the investigation into the three bodies left at the establishment by the Joker." Nora stopped what she was doing and peeked her head around the corner to look at the Gotham Tonight anchor on the screen. "How long Mr. Maroni will be held is unclear but the case is currently being handled by police commissioner, Jim Gordon. The whereabouts of the Joker are also unknown. Updates will be broadcasted as they are received," he said.

The screen was switched off and she looked to see Joker with his arms crossed, appearing satisfied. "You certainly know what you're doing," she said.

He smiled and replied, "Mmm well, creating panic is easy. Only a few sparks can start a fire with the right, uh, kindling."

She grinned at him and continued packing. Joker was undoubtedly smart. He was always a step ahead of everyone, leaving them to chase him as he left them in the dust. Nora was nervous but also excited for what he was going to teach her.

Once she had filled the duffle bags and snuck up on a napping Bowie to put her in her carrier, she brought them out to the living room to find Joker coming from the kitchen with a clean face, a black zipped up hoodie, and jeans. Nora stopped at the doorway and stared at him. He winked, clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, and said "Like what ya see, doll?"

She stifled a giggle with a smile on her face and answered, "Actually, yeah, I do."

A low growl rumbled from his throat as he pulled the hood up over his head and kept a seductive gaze on her. Then he stuffed his purple and green clothes into one of them before swinging the duffle bags onto his shoulders and she grabbed her medical supplies bag from the hallway with Bowie's carrier in her other hand. They reached the front door and she glanced up at him. He pulled a pair of sunglasses and a cap out of his pocket, then put the cap on her head and the glasses on her face. She softly chuckled as he opened the door and she turned to lock it behind them. She walked quickly, following Joker toward the stairs and glancing around to make sure the hall was empty. That was when she heard a door close behind her and looked to see Leann with her back to them as she locked it. Nora gasped quietly, pulled Joker around the corner by his arm, and into the stairwell. She let go of the breath she had been holding and said, "Sorry, that was my neighbor and she is super nosey."

He chuckled before heading down the stairs and she followed. The sun was bright when they made it outside and she was actually grateful for the sunglasses. Joker approached a black car and opened the trunk to toss the duffels along with her medical supplies bag inside. _He drove here?_ She secured Bowie in the back seat then looked to see him holding the passenger's door open and he bowed with his palm turned up, gesturing for her to climb in. "Your chariot awaits, my dear," he said with a grin. Nora laughed and gladly sat down before he shut her door. She liked it when he made her laugh, he was quite good at it and it made her heart flutter. He shut his door and licked his scars as he put the keys in the ignition to start the car.

Not surprisingly, Joker drove really fast. They weaved in and out of traffic with ease as he hummed to himself. Nora got comfortable and gazed out the windshield. She wasn't sure how long she would be staying with him and what it was going to be like. A nervous feeling creeped into her stomach when she thought about all of the men that would be coming and going, maybe one would threaten her again. But the more she thought about it, it still felt safer than her apartment with its apparently serious lack of security. Plus, Joker clearly held the authority around there and he'd already kept her safe several times. His affections continued to be extremely addictive and she knew that was really why she said yes. Last night she thought she was going to have to stay away from him, but it looked like he wasn't going to let that happen.

Nora smiled to herself and Joker asked, "What's on your mind, doll face?"

"Oh, I was just thinking," she replied.

He took a pack of cigarettes in his hand and pulled one out with his teeth, nodding his head as he motioned for her to go on. "Aaaand? Thinking about what?" he asked around the cigarette in his mouth as he extended the pack toward Nora for her to take one.

She plucked one out and held it between her fingers. She took a breath and answered, "Well, I thought I wasn't going to be able to see you but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way."

"Aaah, yes. I knew it was a lie. You needed time off, they said. You're more resilient than tha-t. Q and Enigma don't get to make those decisions," he said as he lit his cigarette and held the lighter out for Nora to light hers. "Not to mention they also have no, uh, business speaking for you."

Nora simply nodded. That was what she was hoping he'd say. She also felt validated since she had said something very similar to them. They each inhaled then blew smoke out of the open windows as Joker drove down the streets of Gotham with the wind blowing their hair. The familiar surroundings of the stacked shipping containers came into view before Joker suddenly jerked the steering wheel to swing the car into park in front of the warehouse with a screech of the tires. He began to laugh as Nora's grip on the door and center console loosened and she giggled along with him. She looked back to Bowie who gave her a somewhat displeased look from her carrier.

"Your palace, my dear," he said as he opened her door and she continued to laugh.

With her bags slung over his shoulders, he kicked the door open and the sound echoed through the warehouse. She carried Bowie in and followed Joker up the stairs while he ignored the looks of confusion from a group of men cleaning guns at a table. She kept her gaze forward and avoided eye contact. Once in his room, he dropped the bags and flung the hood off of his head to ruffle his hair with his hand as Nora removed the cap and glasses. Then she knelt down and opened Bowie's carrier to free her from her confinement. The cat slipped out and tip-toed around the room with her tail in the air, inspecting everything. When she looked up, Nora saw Joker getting undressed and she froze with a little grin on her face.

He noticed her watching him as he pulled on and buttoned his pinstripe pants then walked toward her, leaving his shirt abandoned on top of his desk. He stood in front of her before brushing her hair away from her neck and putting his lips to her skin. Goosebumps rose up all over Nora's body and she held on to his bare shoulders as her eyes closed and her head dropped back. Joker gently nibbled at her neck while she breathed heavily. Then he suddenly bit down with his teeth, causing Nora's eyes to fly open and she looked at him with an exaggerated expression.

"Time for your first gun lesson, doll!" he said loudly, holding her face in his hands before planting a hard kiss on her lips and walking away to continue to get dressed in his usual clothes. Nora couldn't help but break into a fit of giggles.

She sat on the cabinet in the bathroom and watched him apply his face paint. He smeared it on with his fingers in no time, the motions obviously practiced many times by then. He spread the red paint up his scars with his pointer fingers and grinned at Nora. Then he buttoned his shirt and knotted his tie around his neck before slipping his waistcoat onto his shoulders. "Ta daa!" he exclaimed with his arms outstretched.

"Perfect," she said with a smile.

He gestured toward the door and said, "After you."

He lead her back down below the stairs and approached the nearby table when the men were cleaning guns. They nodded to him and stood from their chairs as he selected a smaller 9 mm handgun from the weapons laid out in front of him. He held it down by his side, walked to a door next to their make-shift kitchen, and opened it to reveal a large room she didn't know was there. It had cement block walls that had paper targets hanging on the far wall. Nora stood in the door way and stared at the wall full of small holes. She'd never shot a gun before and was frankly terrified of them, like they'd go off at any moment.

"Feeling nervous, doll?" Joker asked from behind her.

She turned around and answered, "To be honest, yeah."

He smiled softly and said, "No need to be nervous." They walked into the room and he held up the gun for her to take. She looked hesitantly at it and then back at him. "It's not loaded," he said.

She did her best to not let her hand shake and reached out to carefully take it. It weighed a lot less than she was expecting. Nora looked over the black metal and plastic device in her hand, it was actually kind of elegant. Something so small held so much power. Joker stood next to her and positioned the gun in her hand so that she held it as far up on the grip as possible, her pointer finger was resting on the barrel, and the handle was snug against her palm. Then he turned her by her shoulders to face the back wall and stood behind her with his chest to her back. He reached out to straighten her shooting arm, bringing it up in front of her and pointing the gun at the wall.

Joker put his chin on her shoulder and said, "Keep your arm straight but don't lock your elbow, hold it tight high up on the grip." Then took her other hand and wrapped it around the grip and lined her thumb up with the barrel. "Non-dominant hand covers the rest of the grip, thumb along the barrel." He tapped her feet apart with his and said, "Feet shoulder width part, straight back, waist slightly bent forward," then bending her a bit at the waist. "Shooting arm is gonna feel like a push while the other pulls, elbow bent a bit," he said, adjusting her arms. Then he took her finger from against the barrel and put it over the trigger. "First knuckle over the trigger. We're gonna dry fire first, squeeze it slowly," he told her as he held her arms from behind her. Nora looked at her hands gripping the gun in front of her and pulled on the trigger slowly. It took a few seconds, then she heard a click. "Ok it would have fired then. Hold it there and release it slowly until it clicks again," he said. She did as he said and a second click was heard halfway back to starting position. "That's good, doll. You can do it faster next shot. You ready?" She nodded. He pulled a clip from his pocket and loaded it into the gun. Then he helped Nora position herself again so her grip was strong. "Keep both eyes open, line up your shot with your dominant eye," he said. Nora wasn't feeling as nervous anymore. She trusted him and he made her feel safe. Once she was ready, she nodded and he told her, "Take a breath and when you exhale, pull the trigger like I told ya, keep your grip strong for the recoil."

Nora stared at the red target on the wall and took in a controlled breath, then let it go and pulled on the trigger. A loud bang filled the room and her muscles tensed as the gun felt like it was going to jump out of her hands. She managed to keep her grip and released the trigger, lowering the gun once she felt it click.

"HA! Fantastic, doll!" Joker cried, pointing to the hole in the paper about six inches from the center. "Not too shabby for your first sho-t," he said with a grin.

She smiled as she looked at the mark she made in the target. It was actually immensely satisfying. Then she looked to Joker and said, "Thanks! I guess it's not bad, is it?"

His tongue darted out over his lip before a devious smile stretched across his face and he asked, "Wanna do it again?" Nora grinned back and nodded.

Song for this chapter: DRIVE ME CRAZY by KAYTRANADA


	12. Chapter 12: The Rat

****This chapter is both graphic and NSFW!****

**It's a bit of a rollercoaster ride ;) Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve: The Rat**

The sun was getting lower in the sky as Nora was putting her clothes away in a dresser that Joker had acquired for her. It looked like an antique. It was old, but beautiful. She was alone while he was having a meeting with some men who also had a score to settle with Maroni. Surprisingly, Joker was good at networking. Just not in the traditional setting. After getting her things in order and leaving Bowie's food bowl out for when she was finished roaming the warehouse, Nora sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. They had spent the majority of the afternoon shooting various types of guns at the walls of the personal firing range. At one point, the kick back from a particularly large gun pushed Nora backwards into Joker where she sat on the floor between his legs, sending them both into a fit of laughter. Joker certainly took the opportunity to shamelessly show off his skills as well, hitting the center of the bullseye on six targets in a row along the wall, followed by a smile and a wink directed at her. She smiled as she thought about the fun they had and laid back on the bed. Joker undoubtedly knew how to show her a good time. After all of her adrenaline from shooting guns drained away, Nora began to feel drowsy and her eyelids blinked shut.

She awoke when she felt a weight on her body and opened her eyes to see Joker's face leaning directly over hers as he knelt on top of her, dressed to the nines with his purple coat and gloves. "Time to wake u-p, sleeping beauty," he purred. Nora smiled and sleepily closed her eyes again before unsuccessfully holding back a small yawn. "Nooo, c'mon. Get up, get up, get up," he said impatiently, pushing down to bounce the mattress beneath them. "I have somethin' to show you."

Nora then opened her eyes again before asking in a groggy voice, "Oh? What is it?"

"Welll I wouldn't want to, uh, ruin the sur-prise," he answered. Then he hopped off of her and tugged at Nora's arms to sit her up on the edge of the bed. "C'mon, time is a factor here, doll," he told her as he patted the side of her face with his hand.

"Ok ok, I'm up," said Nora, standing up to stretch her arms over her head. _Damn, how does he always have so much energy?_

Joker took her hand and hurriedly lead her out the door to head down the stairs and across the warehouse. He stopped in front of the door to the small room on the other side. "It seems we had a little rat on our tail," Joker growled in a deep voice.

He opened the door to reveal a man sitting in a chair in the middle of the room with his hands tied behind his back and ankles tied to the chair legs. His head of brown hair was hanging down with his chin on his chest, hiding his face. Joker's crew member, who she'd previously helped with a gunshot wound in that same room, stood to the side. Nora blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. The man raised his head with great effort in response to the sound of the door opening.

"Matt?" exclaimed Nora.

He licked his split lip that was steadily bleeding before saying, "Hi, doctor Hawthorne."

After getting over the shock of seeing her coworker tied up in front of her, Nora turned to Joker and asked, "What is this?"

Joker took in a breath and answered, "Your, uh, friend here has been spying on you for mister Maro-ni."

Her mouth dropped open and she turned to face Matt with a look of disbelief. "You what?" she asked, with heat rising into her cheeks.

"Our informant, Nick here, observed this man as he watched your apartment last nigh-t. He then proceeded to follow us here this morning," Joker said as Nora stared at Matt.

She kept her eyes on him and calmly asked, "Is this true?"

He stared back at her and spoke, "I started working for Maroni about six months ago. My salary wasn't enough for my gambling habit. He found out I work with you. I was supposed to offer you a ride home when we worked night shift and watch your apartment... rough you up if I got the chance."

"That's why you offered me a ride?" she asked him.

He lowered his chin back to his chest and answered plainly, "Yes."

"And that's why you were being so forward about walking me up to my apartment? You would have hurt me?" she continued.

"Yes," he replied again, after a pause.

Nora not only felt disappointed, she was angry. Even though she wasn't close to him, Matt betrayed her trust and planned to harm her. She turned to address Joker, "What do we do with him?"

"Mmm, well what do you think we should do with him?" he asked back.

She looked up to the ceiling for a moment before taking a deep breath in and out. "I guess no good deed should go unpunished," she said, directed at Matt. Nora stepped forward to stand in front of him, bound to the chair, and knelt down to bring her face to his level. "I trusted you."

He lifted his head to meet Nora's gaze with his own. "That was your mistake. I made my own. Now let me go," Matt said with a scowl, his face glistening with sweat.

Nora frowned back at him and said, "How about you rectify that mistake of yours?"

"If you think I'm gonna tell you anything else, you're wrong. Maroni would do way worse to me than this," he answered.

Joker giggled from behind her and Nora turned around to see a dark smile forming on his face. Then she turned back to Matt and asked, "Are you sure about that?" before stepping back.

He swallowed and shifted his gaze to Joker who pulled a switchblade from his pocket and flicked it open, keeping his eyes fixed on Matt's as he attempted to resist the fearful expression twitching at his face. Joker strolled forward and bent down to lean in so that their noses almost touched, his hands on his knees with the blade handle tucked into his palm. "Hellooo, Matt," he said in a phony gentle voice. "It is Matt, isn't i-t?"

He began to tremble and gave no answer. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Joker said turning his ear toward him. Suddenly he stuck the knife into the muscle of Matt's thigh, making him scream loudly as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oh, so it is Matt!" exclaimed Joker. "You see uh, Matt, I don't take too kindly to rats." His body shook violently as Matt breathed heavily through his clenched teeth and turned his head away. Joker grabbed his face with his free hand and jerked it back toward his. "Youu are a ra-t, Ma-tt," Joker growled.

The bound man began to pull desperately against his restraints with no success, a small defeated whimper escaping his throat. Joker tilted his head and snarled, "Or would you prefer to be a little pig and squeal instead?" He twisted the knife in Matt's leg, making him wail in pain as Joker laughed.

"FUCK YOU," Matt shouted, spitting blood from his lip in Joker's face.

Joker smirked and said, "Ohhh I only let Nora do that," before pulling the knife from Matt's leg to sit facing him on his lap as he groaned. Then Joker held the back of his neck firmly in place and slid the blade into his mouth. Matt's eyes went wide. Nora stood aside watching, fighting a smile at his joke and her mouth went dry. She knew this was wrong. But she was tired of being a target and Joker was making her feel empowered to turn that around. She remained frozen in place.

Still holding the knife in his captive's mouth, Joker lazily turned his head to look at Nora and raised his eyebrows. She gazed back for a moment, the flicker of hesitation in her mind was extinguished, and she nodded at him. He grinned and turned back to Matt. "Ya know what, Matt? Let's play a game," he said, putting slight pressure on the knife in the corner of his mouth. "You may be familiar with it, it's called twenty questions. I ask you a question and you answer, uh, yes or no. If I can guess what you're thinking in twenty questions or less, I win. Are you ready?" Matt was trembling uncontrollably by then but otherwise remained frozen, staring into Joker's face.

"Question number one, let's seee. Is it a place?" he asked casually. Matt didn't move and just started straight ahead. "Ohhh there's a penalty for not answering the questions," Joker grumbled leaning into the knife, cutting a small slit into the corner of Matt's mouth. Matt cried out as blood began to drip down his chin. "Question number two! Does it involve an event taking place in roughly twen-ty four hours? Hm?" No answer. He pulled on the knife once again and Matt screamed louder. Joker continued, yelling over his cries of pain, "Question three! Might it be a trap set for our dear Nora?" He didn't wait for an answer and gripped the knife tighter, tearing it deeper into Matt's cheek.

"AHHHHH! OK! WAIT!" Matt panted. He squeezed his eyes shut before continuing to talk with the other side of his mouth, "Maroni figured if he got the girl alone again he could use her to lure you out! I was supposed to make sure she was there!"

Joker feigned an expression of astonishment and said, "Ah! I win," before hopping off of Matt's lap. Matt continued to grunt, blood from his lacerated cheek saturating his shirt collar. Joker left him there and walked back toward the door where Nora stood, licking at his scars.

She glared at Matt for a moment as the ringing in her ears faded. Nora knew she wasn't the one who tortured him but she did stand by and let it happen. But Matt said it himself, he made his own mistakes. Then he paid for his own mistakes.

Joker turned to face Matt as Nick approached with a gun in his hand and said, "Now be a good little pig and squeal some more for my friend here. Hm?" Then he opened the door and looked to Nora.

She left the room with him and asked, "Are you gonna kill him? Put him out of his misery?"

"Oh sure, that's Nick's job," he replied, nonchalantly. After a few minutes, Nora heard a gunshot from behind the closed door.

Joker and Nora spent the next hour sitting on the roof of the warehouse, drinking their liquor of choice. Nora had his coat draped over her shoulders to shield her from the cool night air. She took a sip from her glass and looked out at the Gotham skyline. The tall buildings downtown twinkled in the distance. Everything seemed very still and she felt calm despite everything that happened that day, the alcohol in her blood warming her face.

"Are you from Gotham, doll?" Joker asked.

She kept her gaze on the horizon and answered, "Yeah, I am actually." After a pause she looked at him and asked, "Are you?"

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head. Nora wasn't expecting an answer, she didn't know what to say. Joker never shared anything about his life. She knew it was best not to put too much attention on it and said, "This city is insane but I still love it. I've never called anywhere else home."

Joker giggled and said, "An accurate assessment." They were silent for a moment with the breeze blowing through their hair, carrying with it the distant sounds of the city. The air smelled like it was going to rain soon. Suddenly, Joker stood and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet to face him, his coat falling to the ground. Then he put her other hand on his shoulder and they stepped side to side to a silent rhythm with his hand at her waist before he extended his arm to twirl her around. Nora chuckled as she spun back into him and they continued to dance.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" he asked her.

She looked him in the eyes and said, "No." At first, Nora did think he was crazy. But now she was telling the truth. "I think you like to keep everybody guessing."

He laughed and then a hungry growl came from his throat before picking Nora up and slinging her over his shoulder. She screamed and giggled loudly along with him as she gripped his back to steady herself. He carried her to the door back into the warehouse and kicked it open. He managed to keep her on his shoulder all the way down the stairs and back to the landing in front his office. He stopped in front of the door and turned Nora toward it.

"Open that for me would ya, doll?" he purred. She grinned to herself and turned the knob. A few of the men below looked up to see the laughing couple disappear behind the slamming door.

Joker let Nora drop off of his shoulder for her to land flat on the bed in front of him. She gave him a flirtatious smile and he responded with another rumble from his throat before jumping on top of her, straddling her lap on his knees as he pulled his leather gloves off his hands. She reached up and grabbed his face to pull it to hers, smashing his lips against hers and inhaling through her nose to take in his musky scent. He kissed her back eagerly, locking his mouth to hers as she ran her thumbs over his scars, making him shiver. They began to pant together as their hands wandered over each other. It started to rain, the sound of the water tapping against the windows.

"May I?" he asked, sliding his hands under the hem of her shirt.

She gazed at him with heavy lids and answered in a soft voice, "You may."

A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he looked back at her. Then his hands made contact with the warm skin on her sides and he slowly slid them up, lifting her shirt and kissing her body as he went. Nora closed her eyes and sighed. His touch gave her tingles all over. He gently pulled the t-shirt over her head and tossed it behind him as she quickly removed her bra, then he sat back on his heels and looked at her with fiery eyes. She gazed back with her arms over her head, naked from the waist up as she laid beneath him.

"Youu are a feast, doll" he said, his voice deep and husky. "And I'm hungryyy."

A sinful smile came over Nora's face, her bottom lip between her teeth, before she reached up to unbutton his shirt and loosen his tie as he growled.

In no time, his torso was bare and he leaned down to press his nose into the crook of her neck before kissing her skin. Then he slowed himself down, moving his lips down to her chest, leaving a wonderful prickling sensation behind as he went. She felt his breath warming her skin and moaned softly as he took her nipple in his mouth. He sucked lightly and Nora bucked her hips before moving her hand to feel the long bulge pushing against his pants, making him groan softly against her. She needed more. She swiftly unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down while Joker trailed his mouth down her abdomen. A gasp escaped her open mouth when he pulled her panties down and ran his tongue between her legs. She panted faster and squirmed with pleasure as his mouth worked it's magic on her. Licking, kissing, sucking. She got closer and closer to the edge, then he suddenly stopped and she felt his weight lift off of her. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him as he stood up from the bed, licking his lips.

"You tease!" she said in an exasperated tone, but still with a smile on her face.

He grinned while she fidgeted impatiently with the sheets as he slowly unbuttoned his pants and said in a low voice, "Mmm, well it's worth the wai-t."

He slowly ran his warm hands up and down her thighs, getting very close to her pelvis but never touching it. After that he moved his hands to her abdomen, then her chest, leaving a trail of goose bumps as he went. Nora began to feel an aching between her legs, as if it was begging to be touched. She almost couldn't take it anymore. He could see the anticipation on her face and put up a finger. "Ah ah ah, paaatience," he said.

Then he guided her further up onto the bed leaned over her to kiss the soft skin at her jaw before trailing down her neck while she breathed heavily and he positioned himself on top of her. He pressed his nose against the side of her face and teased her entrance with the tip of his cock before suddenly slipping into her, the sound of his breath hitching against her ear. She gasped and started panting again as he went deeper and tighter against her walls. Then he pushed himself up and took her calf in his hand to lift it and lay her ankle over his shoulder. Her jaw dropped and she moaned loudly as he went even deeper into her, putting pressure on just the right spot. He rolled his hips to trust so that his pelvis rubbed against her clit. It was like fireworks were going off in her brain. Nothing in the world mattered except the carnal satisfaction they shared. Her long-awaited release began to swell up within her and Nora threw her head back into the pillows before a burst of pleasure ran through her. She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut, and took his hair into her fists tightly while Joker groaned and his body shuttered as he released inside her. While she caught her breath, he lowered her leg to lean in and kiss her softly. Then he brushed the hair out of her face, careful not to touch her bruise, and she smiled. She opened her eyes and they stared at each other. The look in his eyes said everything. He did care about her.

Nora woke up when a beam of bright morning sunlight hit her face. She rubbed her eyes and sat up to see that she was alone. Tossing the covers off of herself, she noticed a hand written note where Joker had been lying next to her. It read, "Weapons lesson number 2! Meet me downstairs - J". She smiled and got out of bed to get ready.

She opened the door to the warehouse and walked onto the landing, peering out into the seemingly empty building. "Down here, doll face," she heard Joker's voice call from below her.

Nora descended the stairs and found him in the improvised kitchen, his sleeves pushed up to his elbows as he stirred a pan of eggs on a hot plate. She grinned at the sight of the Clown Prince of Crime making her breakfast.

"She's awake!" he practically shouted. "How'd ya sleep, my dear?"

She chuckled and answered, "Quite well. I actually don't know how long I was asleep."

He raised his arm to look at his watch-less wrist and said, "Hmm, about an eternity," earning a wholehearted laugh from Nora. He grinned back at her and placed a plate of steaming scrambled eggs with a fluffy slice of buttered bread in front of her.

"This looks great, J. Thank you," she said, her stomach growling at the sight of the food.

"Don't mention it, doll," he replied through a mouthful of bread.

He watched her as she blinked away her sleep and began to eat. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at him as she chewed. It tasted amazing, like she'd never eaten eggs before. Joker smirked with satisfaction and pushed a cup of coffee toward her.

"It's like you can read my mind," she chuckled.

Joker laughed and said, "Ohhh but I can!" Then he leaned in and squinted his eyes at her. "Mmm well if I knew about that last night I would have tried i-t," he said in a low rumble before laughing again when Nora's mouth dropped open with surprise as a smile still pulled at her cheeks.

Nora finished her breakfast while Joker watched her with half-lidded eyes. She didn't mind. He liked to watch her do the simplest things, like she did them differently than anyone else. She thought it was sweet.

"Ready, doll?" he asked, as she put down her fork, and she nodded her head.

He led her to the small room on the other end of the warehouse, where Matt's blood was still on the floor, and through another door out to a loading dock. Nora's nose was met with a sharp chemical smell that burned her nostrils and made her eyes water. She blinked her eyes a few times and saw tall stacks of large white bags atop several palates along the edge of the dock where a truck was waiting. The bags were each labeled with an orange diamond and the letters "ANFO".

Joker approached the palates and leaned on one of them to face Nora. "This beautiful chemical is known as an-fo," he explained. "A mixture of nine-ty four percent ammonium nitrate and six percent diesel fuel. This match made in heaven produces a delightful high velocity explosion with a little encourage-ment from a couple of sticks of dynamite. Just set the dynamite off with a blasting cap aaaand BOOM!" he finished, putting his hands up and spreading his fingers out to mimic an explosion.

Nora widened her eyes and stared at the palates. There were hundreds of pounds of the stuff sitting on the dock with them. Her stomach dropped and she asked, "Um. Is it safe to be out here?" Not surprisingly, she'd never been around explosives before.

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Hmm, that depends. Do you, uh, have any dynamite on ya?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "No. I don't have any dynamite," she said with a little grin. _What a smart ass._

"Oh good! Then yes, it's safe," he giggled. "Nabbed it from a shipment going to the mines early this morning."

"So what's it for then?" she asked.

A devilish smile made its way across Joker's face. "Ahhh well it's another love-ly gift for our friend Maroni," he growled. Nora couldn't help but smile too. His enthusiasm for mischief was contagious.

A door opened on the other end of the loading dock for Nick to walk through it and approach them. "The rat only knew when, where, and how many. Pretty low in the ranks so he didn't know much. A dozen armed guys, minus our friend of course, are gonna be there at ten minutes to nine," said Nick.

Joker nodded and said, "Good. And Maroni?"

Nick nodded back and replied, "Got out on bail this morning. He'll be waiting in a car outside the place at nine."

"Get it ready," Joker said with a grin. Nick hurried off with a cell phone he had dialed at his ear.

Joker turned to Nora and said, "You might be a little late for your meeting with Sal to-night."

Nora sat on the edge of the loading dock for the next hour, fidgeting with a pebble from the ground, watching Joker and his men stack the bags of stolen chemicals inside the truck. They were going to drive it to Gotham Freight Shipping that night. Did this make her an accomplice? _Hm. I guess it does._ At this point she realized she was actually an accessory to quite a few crimes. What would happen if they got caught? She would go to prison, probably for a long time. But it didn't matter, she couldn't back out now, even if she wanted to. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a man moaning in pain from inside the warehouse. She jumped to her feet and ran inside.

She came rushing in followed shortly by Joker to find Q laying on a table in the middle of the large room, bleeding from his abdomen, with Enigma by his side staring at them.

"Care to explain?" yelled Joker.

Enigma was panting almost has much as Q and swallowed before saying, "We were at our post, watchin' for anybody comin' around Nora's place. We saw a couple guys goin' up the fire escape and went after 'em. They shot Q."

Nora looked at Q lying flat on his back with his hands over the right side of his belly, covered in blood that was rushing out between his fingers. "Get my kit from the office" she quickly told Enigma as she tried to move Q's hands away, then Enigma ran toward the stairs to the office as Joker stood close by.

"I need to see it, Q," she said calmly. He looked at her with a terrified expression on his face, drenched in sweat. "It's ok, I've got you. Let me see," she reassured him, maintaining her composure as her pulse soared.

He slowly moved his hands and put is head back with his eyes squeezed shut as he groaned. His white t-shirt was wet with bright red blood that flowed from a wound on his right side, below his ribs. Nora tried to tear his shirt to remove it, without any success. Then Joker handed her a switchblade, she thanked him with her gaze before using it to cut the shirt from bottom to top and moved it out of her way. "Q, are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked.

He shook his head and managed to say, "I don't think so."

She turned her attention back to the wound. It was a puncture wound with torn edges from the bullet's shockwave. The amount of blood made her worried that it hit an organ in his abdomen. _Ok, right upper quadrant. That's liver, gallbladder, kidney, large intestine. Fuck._ Enigma came running back to the table with Nora's medical bag. She quickly opened it and pulled out a pair of gloves to slide them on her hands as well as a pack of gauze. Then she tossed a pair to Joker and he put them on without question. Using a handful of gauze, she pressed hard on the wound, making Q wince and hiss through his teeth. His skin was becoming pale. _He's already lost a lot of blood. He needs fluids._ She looked to Joker and he took her place to press on the wound while she went to her bag to retrieve an IV catheter, tape, and a tourniquet. She tied the rubber tubing around the top his arm and flicked at the skin on the inside of his arm to encourage a vein to pop up. Once she saw the cephalic vein rise, she punctured the catheter into the blood vessel and withdrew the needle to attach a port and tape it securely in place. After untying the tourniquet, she went back into her kit to grab a liter bag of IV fluids and tubing. Nora shoved the items at Enigma and said, "Open the tubing, uncap the spike and push it into the port at the bottom of the fluid bag, let the fluid run through the tubing then pinch it off with the clamp on the line. Think you can manage to attach it to his catheter?"

Enigma stared back at her and nodded, "I'll try."

Nora looked to Joker still holding pressure on the flow of blood escaping from Q's abdomen. It was soaking through the gauze and wasn't showing any sign of slowing down. _I gotta find the bleed._ She pulled out some more supplies. Hemostat clamps, forceps, a small retractor, and a scalpel blade.

"Is this right?" asked Enigma. He had the bag set up and the tubing line flushed.

"That's great," she said. "Now take the cap off the end of the tubing and carefully push it into the port on his arm there. Then un-pinch the clamp on the tubing and squeeze the bag a bit to push fluids into his vein. Keep the bag above his arm." He nodded and went to follow her instructions.

She turned to speak to Q, "Ok, you're doing great. Q? Can you hear me?" He looked dazed and seemed to be on the brink of tears but nodded slightly. "I have to find what's bleeding and stop it. The wound is too small, I have to open it a bit. It's gonna hurt but you can do this," she said, squeezing his hand.

He laid his head back and uttered, "Ok," a tear running from his eye and along his temple.

Taking the scalpel in her hand, Nora leaned over Q and used it to quickly cut from the edge of the bullet hole, lengthening it by a few inches. Q cried out through his clenched jaw and Enigma took his hand for him to squeeze it as he grunted. Then she gently placed the retractor to hold the skin open and peered into the wound, dabbing away blood with more gauze to try to see better. There was still so much blood, it was hard to see. She grabbed a hemostat and clamped a small vessel bleeding from his torn skin. Then she saw it. Just through the abdominal wall, a lobe of his liver had a jagged hole in it, spouting blood. _Shit._ The liver is a friable organ that bleeds readily when injured and is difficult to stop bleeding since clamps just do more damage. _Gotta improvise. Think, think, think._ She stared at the wound for a moment.

As if on cue, Nora remembered a passage from the field medicine chapter of her emergency procedures book. Balloon catheters can be used to inflate inside wounds like bullet holes to put direct pressure and stop bleeding without causing further damage. She hurried to her medical bag and started digging through it until she found a 10 ml Foley urinary catheter. _Well that's lucky._ Then she filled a 10 ml syringe with fluid from his IV bag and took the urinary catheter out of its package to stand over Q, the supplies readied in her hands.

"Keep breathing Q and hold as still as you can," she said before plunging the tip of the catheter into his abdomen. Q screamed and Joker held him down, she had to keep going. Nora fed the rubber tube into the bullet hole until she felt resistance. Then she attached the syringe to the balloon port to inflate it with saline. Her eyes were focused, unblinking, on the wound as blood flowed from it. She kept pushing in saline. _Come on, come on, come on. 6 mls, 7 mls, 8 mls._ Then the bleeding stopped.

She watched it for a moment, holding her breath. Nothing. She did it. Nora let her breath go and clamped the end of the rubber tube to keep it closed.

"Well done, doc," Joker stated with a grin.

Q's breathing slowed and he asked, "What? What's happening?"

"Nora saved your life, man," said Enigma as he stared at the opening in Q's belly, looking a bit pale himself.

She snapped back into focus after her victory and said, "We need to get him to a hospital." He still needed help fast, this was only a temporary fix. "He needs a blood transfusion and surgery. There's a bullet in his liver. I stopped the bleeding for now but we're not out of the woods yet."

Enigma and Joker looked at each other and then at Q.

"They rebuilt Gotham General, right?" Enigma asked.

Nora quickly stapled up her incision to close it enough just so the length of the Foley catheter was sticking out of the original wound while Joker backed a car up to the side door. Then they sat Q up on the table as he groaned. Enigma hooked his arms beneath Q's from behind him and Nora leaned in to secure the rubber catheter against his skin with a generous amount of tape. They carefully lifted him off the table with Enigma at his torso and Joker carrying his legs, a bit of blood escaping from his wound.

"It's ok, keep going," she said loudly over Q's shouting, holding under his hips and keeping his IV fluid bag between her jaw and shoulder.

They awkwardly made their way to the waiting car and managed to lay Q in the back seat, all four of them huffing from the effort and covered in blood. With no time to catch their breath, Joker threw the car into drive and hit the gas. The car sped away from the warehouse, skidding on the wet road. No one said a word. Q stared out the car window at the grey sky above him, his vision drifting in and out of focus while Nora squeezed the fluid bag still attached to his arm from the front seat. She noticed the glazed look in his eyes and spoke up, "Q?' He rolled his head to the side to look at her.

"You're gonna have a really cool scar," she said and he smiled faintly back at her.

The black car came to a screeching halt in front of the newly reconstructed Gotham General Hospital. Nora looked to Joker with a worried expression. He knew why. They'd see him.

Nora climbed out of the car to run through the doors to the emergency department. A few people moved out of her way when they saw the blood on her clothes and she called out, "Excuse me! I have a gunshot wound to the abdomen outside! Stable but barely!"

A tall, dark-haired man in green scrubs with a nametag that read "RESIDENT" came jogging toward her with a gurney and she motioned for him to follow her. A muscular man with the nametag "RN" came along with them. The double doors slid open the reveal a crowd staring at Joker and Enigma, carefully lifting Q out of the car as he twisted up his face and hollered. The two men with Nora stopped in their tracks, unsure about what they were seeing.

"He didn't shoot him," Nora told them. The men looked at each other, confused, before cautiously approaching while keeping their distance.

Joker and Enigma heaved Q up onto the gurney and Nora said, "The bullet is in a lobe of his liver, I didn't open it up any more to look for more damage but I inflated that Foley catheter in the entry wound to slow the bleeding."

The resident doctor nodded but was staring at Joker. He stared back with his brow lowered and said, "Didn't your mommy ever teach you it's ruuude to stare? Hm?" The man quickly averted his gaze and grabbed hold of the gurney to push it back toward the doors as the nurse placed an oxygen mask over Q's mouth.

Enigma followed and called behind him, "I'll stay with him! Get outta here!"

The crowd was frozen, not one person made a move. Joker's presence kept everyone silent, like they were stunned. No one ever thought they would run into him but were all always afraid they would. It was like he didn't really exist until they saw him in front of them. Nora remembered when she felt like that the night she met him.

Then he and Nora took off in the car before anyone registered what just happened. The sound of sirens wasn't far behind them as Joker sped through the streets and they caught their breath.

Song for this chapter: all the good girls go to hell by Billie Eilish

**Comments/reviews always welcome! I'd love you hear from you!**


	13. Chapter 13: BOOM

**Hang on tight for this one!**

**Chapter Thirteen: BOOM**

Nora stared straight ahead out of the windshield in front of her, silent and barely blinking. _What the fuck just happened?_ It was like reality had been ripped out from beneath her and then came crashing back down like icy water. Then panic set in. She looked to Joker to see him concentrated on the road, speeding to weave in and out of traffic. She had just been seen in public with the Joker. What were they going to do now? It wouldn't be hard for the cops to find out who she was. And Q. Poor Q. She looked down at the blood stains on her clothes. What if he didn't live through this? Nora's panicked feelings were quickly joined by those of crushing guilt. Q and Enigma were watching her apartment for any more men Maroni might have sent. If she hadn't gotten involved, none of this would have ever happened. Q wouldn't have gotten hurt. She stared back out of the windshield with wide eyes and began to breathe in and out rapidly, each breath feeling like the air was searing her lungs.

Joker heard her hyperventilating and reached over to tap her face, "Hey, hey, heyy. No, no stop that!"

All Nora could do was let out a little squeak.

Suddenly, he turned the wheel to pull the car into a tight alley and parked it. Then he grabbed Nora's face and turned it toward his own. "HEY! Look at me!" he shouted.

Her gaze remained distant as her eyes welled up with tears.

"I sai-d, LOOK AT ME!" he barked even louder.

Nora's ears rang and her eyes promptly came to life, focused directly on his. Her breaths were becoming longer and deeper.

His tongue swiped over his lip and he said, "Remember what I told you? Hm? Don't. Fall. To pieces. You didn't back there, did you? Hm?"

She blinked and kept her eyes focused in him. "How? How am I supposed to do that?" she asked in a small voice.

"I think you know the an-swer to that one, doll face," Joker replied.

She furrowed her brow and shook her head.

Joker nodded, "Ohhh yes ya do."

She continued to stare at him.

"Loosen u-p, doc," he said, keeping his eyes on hers. "Don't for-get what you're capable of."

Nora swallowed and continued to stare into his deep brown eyes, surrounded by smudged black greasepaint. She felt hypnotized. Just like the first time he caught her in his gaze except this time she felt a calming sensation running through her. Images of everything that happened in the last twenty four hours ran through her mind. She couldn't do anything to change them now. She could only keep moving forward. She did everything she could for Q and they got him to the right place for help. Panicking did her no good.

Her cheeks burned hot and she said, "I-I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry, doll," Joker replied, letting go of her face.

Then it was incredibly silent. Nora realized that she couldn't hear sirens anymore. They had made it to an alley on the edge of the Narrows. Joker rolled down all of the windows before popping the trunk, then he opened his door and got out of the car. She climbed out to follow and saw him getting a canister of gas out of the trunk.

"Watch your step, doll face," he said, beginning to dowse the interior of the car with gasoline.

She stepped to the side and asked, "Wait, what are you doing?"

He casually tossed the canister aside and pulled a book of matches from his front pocket. "Gotta ditch the car," he said as he lit a match and flicked it through the open passenger window.

The car burst into flames in front of them and heat from the intense fire washed over Nora. She jumped back with a yell and watched the car become engulfed by the blaze in mere seconds, burning away any trace of evidence. Joker took her hand to run to the end of the alley, away from the rapidly burning car.

He took a cell phone out from another pocket and said as he dialed it, "We have to prepare for a date with our Italian friend tonigh-t."

After slipping into a car driven by one of his men, they made it back to the warehouse undetected. Joker's ability to think ahead of everyone always impressed Nora. He left them in the dust to chase after him, but they never caught up. He had already sent Nick to track down and kill the men Maroni sent to her apartment, the men that shot Q. Then he forged a message from them to Maroni that the plan was still on track. On the floor of the loading dock were the bodies of two men with their throats cut and smiles carved into their faces.

Joker stood in front of them and bent down to retrieve the handgun from one of their belts. He held it up to inspect it and said, "Put 'em in the truck," before tucking the gun into his own waistband.

His men lifted the bodies to carry them to the truck they had filled with the explosives that morning and shoved them in the front passenger's side so that they were sitting upright. Then Nora noticed another body sitting in the driver's seat. It was Matt, his pale face coated with enough dried blood that he was almost unrecognizable and his cheeks slashed to match the others. She stared at it for a moment as she scowled. They both unknowingly got involved with rival criminals and now here they were, he was dead and she was alive. But as far as she was concerned, he deserved what he got. _Spineless prick._

She felt Joker's arm around her waist and she turned to look at him. He had a soft expression on his face behind the smeared make up. Her heart fluttered as she recognized the same look in his eyes that she saw last night. The look that said he cared for her. Even if it might end in heart break, she cared for him too. They stood there for a moment, silently communicating their feelings with their eyes until Nora realized that they were doing so right in front of his goons. She blinked and shifted her gaze toward the truck to see if they were watching. They certainly were. Then Joker took her chin between his thumb and forefinger to turn her face back toward his before bringing his lips to hers for a deep kiss. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his embrace as his mouth enveloped hers and their noses pressed together. For a kiss like that, she didn't care who saw it. Clearly, Joker didn't either.

The two of them eventually separated and Nora opened her eyes to see him grinning at her. He licked his lips before swiping his thumb over her mouth and they chuckled at the red paint left behind. Then he turned to look at his men, who were all staring at them, and raised his eyebrows. "What are you lookin' at? Hm?" he said.

They all quickly looked away and went back to work as he laughed. Nora smiled, feeling relieved. If his men already hadn't guessed what was going on between her and J, they undoubtedly knew it now. They knew and he didn't care one bit.

"C'mon, doll," said, Joker as he put his arm around her and led her into the warehouse. The day had already been an unending torrent of emotions but Nora couldn't help but feel happy. She knew he'd just done that on purpose. He wanted his men to see them. It wasn't spoken out loud, but in some way their relationship had become official. It wasn't a secret.

Once they got inside, one of his crew approached them with a phone in his hand. Nora had never seen him before, he had red hair and looked quite young. He cleared his throat and said, "Um. 'scuse me, boss. Enigma is callin'."

Joker quickly took the phone and brought it to his ear. "Enigma," he said.

He stood still for a moment, listening to the voice on the other end, with a blank look on his face. "Alright, you know what to do," he said before ending the call.

Nora looked at him, unable to hide the concern showing in her eyes. He prodded at his scars with his tongue and said, "Not surprising-lyy, Enigma is now in police custody. Q was alive when he left. Didn't take long for the, uh, boys in blue to show up."

"What do we do?" she asked. She wanted to know how Q was doing so badly but there was no way of knowing.

"Mmm well Enigma won't talk, he'll buy us some time. Can't have mister Maroni missing out on our date! In fac-t, it'll serve as an excellent, uh, distraction," Joker replied.

Nora wished he would just tell her what he was thinking but she figured he was just making it up as he went along. "Distraction for what?" she asked him.

He grinned and answered, "Nothin' like a good old fashioned jail break, doll."

"Citizens outside of Gotham General Hospital were shocked by a surprise visit by none other than the Joker to the emergency department late this morning. About a dozen witnesses report seeing the criminal carrying an unknown wounded man from a car he arrived in with the help of another man, identified as Randal Eden, who has been incarcerated in the past on drug possession charges. Eden has been since taken into Gotham PD custody for questioning and the condition of the unknown man has not been disclosed. If that wasn't alarming enough, the men were also joined by a woman. The Joker and the woman escaped the scene in the same car they arrived in and police are still searching for the vehicle. The identity of the woman has not yet been discovered and it is unclear whether her participation was voluntary. If you recognize this woman, please call the tip line listed at the bottom of your screen," a news reporter's voice echoed from the old television as a blurry picture of Nora from the hospital security camera came up on the screen.

Nora sighed and closed her eyes. This just kept getting more complicated. Someone she knew was bound to recognize her. The interesting thing about Joker was that it really didn't seem to bother him at all. If anything, it excited him. One more puzzle for him to solve and as a bonus, he got to stir things up. She couldn't stop coming up with scenarios where everything went wrong. But she had to be optimistic. He's gotten out of worse situations. _Gotta loosen up._

The sun was getting lower in the sky as they prepared for the first phase of the plan they had spent the afternoon devising. Nora, Joker, and a handful of his men stood around one of the round tables inside the warehouse while Joker scribbled out a rough map and timeline on the table's surface.

"The truck detonates at one minute to nine. The cops should make it there in rough-ly seven minutes, stay clear until I tell you, then cause as much mayhem as you can," said Joker. "Leave Mar-oni to make a break for it, we'll uh pay him another visit soon."

Dome nodded and said with a grin, "No problem, boss." He still had the staples in his forehead, Nora could see that the gash she repaired was healing nicely as he leaned forward.

Joker giggled and continued, "They'll send as many squad cars as they can along with a SWAT unit and probably Gordon for an explosion like that. Dome and his team will keep 'em busy. With MCU near-ly abandoned, we'll spring Enigma and uh deal with whatever rookie is left there with the help of the love-ly doctor." The group turned to look at Nora and she couldn't help but crack a smile.

Everyone knew their part, the group left the table to round up the crew and get the volatile truck ready for its debut. Nora headed for the side door where a car waited to take her to the clinic to retrieve supplies she needed for her part in the plan. She squared her shoulders and walked with her gaze straight ahead. She felt different. Not in a bad way, though. Confident and determined. Like no one could stop her. Joker met her at the door and held something out for her to take. It was the first gun she shot the day before.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He licked his lip and nodded, "Safety is on, its loaded." He had a serious look on his face.

Nora nodded back and took it. Then she kissed him on the cheek and stepped out the door. She grinned to herself, she swore she saw a little smirk form on his face.

Nick was driving this time. Nora insisted that Joker didn't drive her to the clinic at the risk of being seen again. Surprisingly, he agreed. He stayed at the warehouse to prep the explosives and watch over everything. She sat in the passenger seat, looking at the gun in her hand. It still felt a bit foreign to her, but she was beginning to like it.

"Looks like boss treats ya right," said Nick. "And thanks for fixing up my leg, by the way. I only limp a little bit."

Nora's trance was broken by the sound of his voice and she replied, "Oh! Um, yeah he does. He really does. I, um, I'm glad I could help. With your leg, I mean."

Nick chuckled and said, "Well it didn't fall off so you know what you're doin', doc!"

The two laughed together before he parked the car a block down the street from the clinic. "Alright, I'll be waiting here with the engine runnin'. Call me if you run into trouble, yeah?" he said.

She nodded and tucked the gun into the waistband of her jeans before climbing out of the car. Then she pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head as she walked toward the brick building. The clinic closed for cleaning a half hour ago, she hoped she had timed it right so that the building would be empty, the staff should have left and the cleaning crew shouldn't be there yet. She approached the side door and carefully put her key in the lock. Then she took a deep breath before turning it and opened the door.

The lights were off, that was a good sign. She waited for a moment and listened. It was silent so she cautiously entered the treatment room. She didn't want to turn on the lights just in case so she took the cell phone Joker gave her out of her pocket and turned on its flashlight. _Ok, get the drugs and get out._ Nora approached her desk and reached for her lock box. Then the lights turned on.

"Dr. Hawthorne?"

It was Jen. She was standing in the doorway from the lobby, staring wide-eyed at Nora with her hand at her chest, like she'd seen a ghost.

Nora quickly put the cell phone back in her pocket and stared back, her heart racing. "Hi Jen," she said.

"What are you doing here? I saw you on the news! I just called the tip line! Are you ok?" Jen babbled.

_Fuck. Of course she did._ Nora almost cursed under her breath before responding, "Yes, I'm ok. I really don't have time to explain though. I just need to get some things from my desk."

Jen furrowed her brow. "You what? No. What's going on? I just saw you on tv with the damn Joker!" she shouted.

"Please just stay out of this," Nora replied, shaking her head slowly.

"Did he threaten you? Or hurt you? Is that actually how you got that bruise?" she continued to yell.

Nora answered as calmly as she could, "Look, if you want me to be safe, you'll stay out of it. Don't call the cops, don't tell anyone. I'm serious, ok?" Standing there in front of Jen was starting to make her skin crawl and her head buzz with anxiety.

Jen's face reflected a mixture of confusion and anger before she shouted, "I can't let you leave!"

Nora lost her patience and reached for the gun at her waist. She turned off the safety, pointed it up at the ceiling light, and pulled the trigger.

*Bang!*

Glass rained down from the ceiling and Nora grabbed her lock box before running toward the door as Jen shielded herself from the falling shards. Her ears rang and she panted as she continued to run down the block. She flung the car door open and jumped in.

"Go go go!" she yelled to Nick, as he stepped on the gas.

"Jesus! What happened?" he asked, looking at the little pieces of glass on her sweatshirt.

Nora laid her head back and caught her breath, "Someone was there. One of the staff. She saw me," she huffed.

Nick sighed out of his nose and asked, "You know her name?"

She thought for a moment before answering, "I don't want her hurt." Jen might be annoying but she didn't deserve to get mixed up with this.

He nodded and said, "Ok, she won't be. I promise."

"What are you gonna do?" Nora asked, tossing her hood off of her head.

"Oh I'm gonna bribe her," he said with a smirk.

They pulled up to the warehouse and Joker was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. Nora smiled when she saw him waiting for her. She got out of the car with her lock box in her hand and took long strides toward him. He grinned excitedly and flung his arms around her middle to pick her up and spin her around.

"Haa ha ha! And she returns victorious!" he laughed.

She giggled uncontrollably as he sprinted inside with her still squeezed in his arms. He set her down once they reached the table scrawled with plans and said with a smile, "Alright doc, show me what ya got!"

Nora's giggles died down and she unlocked the metal box to reveal a collection of glass vials of various sizes, then she picked up a small clear one with a green label. "Well, I figured I'd use Midazolam. It causes heavy sedation with anterograde amnesia so they won't remember the injection or anything after it for at least twenty minutes. Ten milligrams of this into the thigh muscle and lights out," she said.

Joker laughed loudly before putting his hands on her cheeks and he said, "You! You are brilliant, doll."

She grinned back at him and replied softly, "Thanks, J."

Dome called to them from the back of the warehouse, "K, boss! We're ready!"

Nora looked at the clock. _8:13 pm._

"Time to send a message," said Joker.

She matched his devious smile and nodded.

They walked out onto the loading dock to meet a group of over twenty men wearing various clown masks and loaded up with weapons. The truck full of explosives had been loaded onto a tow truck with a tarp stretched over the windshield to hide the bodies inside. Six old cars also waited there, ready to carry the group of criminals to the location of intended chaos. Nora would be lying if she said the sight didn't make her feel nervous. But standing there next to Joker looking down at it all, that made her excited.

Joker's lips pulled into a crooked smile before he addressed the crew, "Let's go, boys."

Such a simple statement sent the crowd of men into shouts of delight as Joker turned to Nora and led her down the stairs to one of the awaiting cars. The sun had just made it below the horizon, casting deep blue light over Gotham as the night closed in. Nora and Joker sat in the back seat of one of the cars where she bounced her leg anxiously.

He put his hand on her knee and said, "No need to be nervous, doll."

She sighed a little and replied, "I know. I can't help it though."

"Mmm well maybe this'll help," he said in a deep voice before brushing her hair to the side and bringing his lips to the skin at the base of her neck.

Her eyes closed as tingles ran down her spine and into her core. She gasped quietly and breathed deeply as he gently made his way up her neck. He let go just below her ear and Nora felt her muscles relax as she sank into the seat beneath her.

He popped his lips and asked, "Better?"

She chuckled softly and blinked her eyes open. "Better," she answered.

The car stopped in front of a large building on the west side of the Narrows. "Gotham Freight Shipping" was painted in large letters on the sign in front. It wasn't a busy street but a few nearby businesses and apartment buildings were occupied. The street lights on all sides of the building had been disabled, leaving the building hidden in shadow. Dome and his group pulled the tow truck inside after cutting the bolts on the sliding doors while Joker, Nora, and Nick entered the abandoned office building across the street and behind a large dirt lot, headed for the roof.

Dome's voice came over the static on the radio Joker held in his hand as they climbed the stairs, "Detonator's in place, we're taking our positions."

"Ahhh, excellen-t," he growled back into the radio.

The three of them made it to the roof and Joker approached the edge where a pile of sandbags had been placed. He flopped down on his belly to prop himself up on his elbows and looked out toward the freight building through a pair of binoculars. Nora giggled and followed him to make herself comfortable next to him. Nick stood guard at the door to the roof with a rifle in his hands. Joker handed Nora the binoculars and she lifted them to her eyes to see the tow truck leaving as the crew in clown masks exited the old cars that were parked along both sides of the street, in a surprisingly choreographed manner, before they scattered into alleys and behind neighboring buildings.

"Al-most show tiiime," Joker rumbled as she watched through the lenses.

Seconds later, she heard the sound of cars coming down the road. _Right on time, 8:50 pm._ Two black SUVs pulled up to the freight building and almost a dozen men in back jackets stepped out, talking to each other outside.

A voice over the radio said, "They wonderin' where Matt is with the doc."

"Give it time," Joker replied, looking through the binoculars.

He waited and watched until they entered the building. Once the door closed, he lifted the radio back to his lips and said, "Bolt 'em in."

A few members of Joker's crew came out of the shadows and silently secured thick beams of rebar in place over the exits as well as lines of sandbags along the bottom of the garage door to weigh it down as Joker and Nora continued watching from their vantage point, with anticipation growing.

The men inside chatted loudly and lit cigarettes while they waited for their boss to arrive. Until one of them finally looked over at the trucked parked by the door. He froze and stood staring at the bodies of his fellow gang members slumped against each other in the front seat with smiles sliced into their cheeks. The rest of the men saw him staring and looked over as well. Spray painted on the hood of the truck in red letters was, "BOOM!" along with a large smiley face. They panicked and ran for the door but were unable to open it. Some of them tried other exits and attempted to operate the garage door but nothing budged. With nothing else to do, they started beating on the doors with their fists. One of the men called Maroni, screaming into the phone to tell him what was happening. _8:58 pm._

The sound of the banging rang out across the street and Joker pulled out a small rectangular device from his pocket. It was yellow and the metal surface had been so scratched up that a warning label was barely legible. At the top were two switches, one labeled "CHARGE" and the other, "DETONATE". He brought the device up between them and flicked the charge switch. A red light blinked on. Nora's heart began to pound in her chest and a smile creeped its way onto her face.

"Take cover, gentlemen!" he laughed into the radio.

Then he placed Nora's thumb on the detonator switch, next to his own and she grinned back at him, biting her lip.

They looked out toward the building in front of them and Joker growled in a deep voice, "Boom," before they pressed the switch.

It was like an earthquake. The shockwave vibrated every bone in Nora's body and her ears echoed with the sound of the blast. The ground shook and glass had blown out from windows down the block. A plume of smoke bellowed out from the half demolished building as flames began to consume it. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, Nora got to her feet to watch what was left of the building burn with incredible intensity as she caught her breath. Joker stood watching the blaze with a smug look of satisfaction before taking Nora's face in his hands and pulling her in to eagerly bring her lips to his. The two then stood in front of the massive cloud of smoke wrapped in a passionate kiss as debris rained down around them. On the street below, a black town car pulled up and Sal Maroni stepped out, staring slack jawed at the destruction in front of him.

Joker parted his lips from Nora's and they grinned as he touched his forehead to hers. "Ready, my dear?" he asked.

She looked him in the eyes and nodded before he said into the radio, "Alll clear."

Then he handed Nora the radio and she smirked, holding it up to speak into it. "Fuck the place up, boys!" she yelled.

A roar of shouts and whistles resonated from the alleys and buildings as a swarm of clown masked men ran through the street. They began to set their cars ablaze and smashing things with crowbars as the building continued to burn. People came rushing from down the street to see what had happened only to turn and run back as sirens went off in the distance.

Joker cackled and Nora looked with astonishment at the bedlam below. She'd never seen anything like it. Her hands prickled and it felt like all of her senses were heightened. It was only a moment until she was laughing too. Then he grabbed her hand and they ran for the door as they continued to laugh. Out on the street, a surreal feeling came over Nora as Joker led her through the haze of firing guns and smoke bombs with an implicit immunity as men continued to cause mayhem around them. Through the smoke, she could see Maroni's town car speeding away. Then the car they had hidden in an alley came into view. They quickly climbed in and Nick took off down the road toward Gotham PD's MCU.

Song for this chapter: Ghosts 'n' Stuff by Deadmau5

**Woohooo! All hell is breaking loose, y'all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!****  
****Comments are always welcome! Let me know what you think :)**


	14. Chapter 14: Joker's Girl

**Thank you for reading!**

**And thank you, ****itjustanotherbrickinthewall****, ****Jettsetter17****, ****Squeegee Beckinhime****, and ****CatCrazy**** for your reviews! Sorry, I'm kinda new to FFN and I have no idea how to add author's notes so here we are lol.**

**I swear this fic is keeping me sane, work has been kicking my ass during quarantine. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

***some recreational drug use near the end* ( Happy belated 420 from Oregon **** )**

**Chapter Fourteen: Joker's Girl**

Nora had never felt a rush like that in her life. The ground itself shook then all hell broke loose. It was a powerful feeling. Their car sped through the horde of gun wielding masked men causing a wave of destruction amid clouds of purple smoke bombs. The noise of hollering voices and breaking glass was soon being drowned out by the wail of sirens.

Nick spun the car around a corner as a line of police cars rushed past, heading toward the glow of the burning building. Her heart still pounding in her chest, Nora reflexively grabbed hold of the passenger's seat in front of her. They were soon on a straight path again and it wouldn't take long to reach the major crimes unit. She retrieved her drug box from the floor of the car and shoved her keys in the lock to open it and fish out the vial of Midazolam. Using a needle tipped syringe from her medical bag, she pierced the rubber stopper and drew out two milliliters of clear liquid from the vial. Joker watched her with a roguish look in his eyes as she then flicked the syringe with her fingertip to release air bubbles and put the cap back over the needle.

"I like watching you do that, doll. It shows just how, uhh, formid-able you are," said Joker in a deep voice.

Nora chuckled and smirked at him. "You think so?" she asked.

He lifted the corner of his mouth into a crooked grin as he nodded. She returned the devilish smile before Joker made a low growling noise from his throat and lunged forward to knock her over onto her back across the seats. He leaned on top of her and greedily put his mouth to hers, muffling her giggles. Then he moved to her neck and ravenously sucked at her skin as he continued to rumble in his chest. Nora couldn't help but laugh loudly before yelping slightly when she felt him take her flesh between his teeth, making him chuckle against her skin. He pushed himself up on his hands to look into her eyes, licking his lips.

"Mmm I could ea-t you u-p right here, doll," he said as he shivered.

She simply looked up at him with a mischievous grin as she bit her lower lip, challenging him in his already revved-up state.

He lowered his chin and held back a smile before growling, "Oh, youu are gonna be in sooo much trouble laterrr."

Then he suddenly lowered himself and bit down on her neck again, sending her into another fit of laughter. Once he had his fill, he sat up and pulled Nora back to a seated position. Her giggles faded and she caught her breath as they neared the police station. She took a deep breath and looked to Joker.

"You're on, doc," he said after the car pulled into an alley across the street.

Nora nodded and turned to open the door. Before she got out, Joker grabbed her wrist and she turned back to see that serious look on his face as he looked her in the eyes. She gazed back and leaned in to kiss him.

Letting her nose linger against his for a moment, she said, "I'll see you soon." Then she swiftly got out of the car, tucking the syringe filled with sedative under her shirt.

The street was relatively quiet aside from the distant alarms with the tower of fiery smoke from the explosion still tall against the dark sky. Nora stepped quickly across the pavement toward the stairs to the station. She looked toward the car to see Nick give the signal that the security cameras had been disabled. Her determination was at an all-time high as she pulled the door handle and marched inside. As Joker predicted, almost all of the cops on duty had been sent to stem the uproar after the blast and the building was eerily calm. She got herself ready, twisting her face into an anxious frown and began to breathe shakily. It didn't take long for a young man in uniform to approach her. His badge read, "Officer Morgan".

"Ma'am? Can I help you?" he asked.

She brought tears to her eyes and panted, "Y-Yes. I'm Nora Hawthorne a-and I just escaped from the Joker."

His eyes went wide and he responded, "Come with me."

He put his hand on her shoulder and led her through the station. They passed rows of recently unoccupied desks and empty offices. He brought her to a small medic station where he pulled up a chair for her to sit. Then he sat down in a chair opposite to her and asked, "Are you hurt, Nora?"

She shook her head and swallowed before saying, "N-No I'm ok. I g-got away before they hurt me." She trembled as she spoke.

He nodded and said, "Ok that's good. There was an emergency that the Commissioner had to address. I need you to sit tight until he can get here with a medical team. You're safe now."

Nora fell silent and avoided eye contact, pushing him to keep talking. She glanced at a clock on the wall. _Two more minutes._

"I know you must be afraid but I hope you understand that I have to ask you some questions," he said.

She let tears roll down her cheeks as she stared at the floor. The holding cells weren't far away. She listened for any other voices or approaching footsteps. Nothing. At least for now, they were alone.

"Nora, I need you to tell me everything you remember," he told her. "What can you tell me about the Joker?"

She responded by suddenly bursting into a fit of loud sobbing, dropping her head into her hands. The young cop, in an attempt to console her, knelt down in front of her and said, "Oh God, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you."

_Gotcha._

Nora slipped the syringe out from under her shirt, uncapped the needle, and jammed it into his thigh. He threw his head back and cried out as she forced the plunger down, pushing the drug into his muscle. She pulled the needle out with a grunt and the man began to slump forward.

"W-Wha dih you do tuh me?" he slurred in a daze.

She caught her breath and said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You'll have a nice nap."

His eyes rolled back as they shut and he fell to the floor. After wiping off her tear-soaked face with her sleeve, Nora rolled him onto his side. Then she stepped over the unconscious man to make her way down the hall.

She made a left down another hallway and then a stairwell, jogging at a quick pace, until she reached an exit door. Taking a keycard out of her pocket, she swiped it in the door's card reader, triggering a little green light. Then she grabbed the handle and flung the door open. Joker stood in the doorway, leaning in with his hands against the frame so that his face was the first thing she saw, making Nora laugh.

"There she is!" he exclaimed.

"Here I am," she chuckled.

He grinned and said in a distinguished accent, "I have been looking allll over for you, darling," before planting a loud kiss on her lips and stepping into the stair well.

She grinned back at him before they chuckled together and climbed the stairs into the building. They reached the medic station where Officer Morgan was left on the floor and Joker burst into a fit of giggles at the sight.

He chuckled, "Spec-tacular, doll. You truly are formidable."

Nora took a little bow and said, "I even cried," making him roar with laughter.

"And she's a talented actor!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye and breathing through the last few chuckles. Then he bent down to retrieve the cop's radio and said into it, "Uh, we have an officer down in central intake. Repeat, officer down," before dropping it on the ground next to him and taking the ring of keys from his belt.

"Now we have a little birdie to, uh, set free," he grinned.

They promptly headed into a stairwell and waited for a moment against the wall. After only a few seconds, Nora heard the sound of frantic voices getting closer from around the corner. Five more cops quickly passed by with their guns drawn on their way to aid Officer Morgan. Once they were out of sight, Joker made eye contact and they slid around the corner to follow the officer's path down to the holding cells. Nora kept close to Joker as he used different keys to open the locked doors on their route before using an access fob on the last door. He held it open for Nora, smirking at her and raising his eyebrows.

Detainees looked toward the sound of the opening door to be surprised by what they saw. Nora entered the large room with Joker strolling in casually behind her. The room was silent as men in cells along the wall stood to stare at them.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," said Joker. "Where I might find one Ran-dal E-den?"

"Boss!" Enigma called out from the last cell, sticking his arm out from between the bars.

Joker rounded a desk to swipe a keycard from his pocket in the computer. A loud buzz rang out and the locks on all of the cell doors clicked before they clanged open. "Whoops!" he laughed.

Nora grinned at his strangely charming antics while men from the cells cheered and ran in different directions, taking their chance at freedom. Enigma followed and they wasted no time sprinting toward the nearby exit to the street. Soon, Joker pushed a door open and the night air blew over their faces as they ran for their waiting car. They left the station emptier than they found it and slipped away among the crowd of released criminals for the unfortunate duty officers to chase after.

Joker was putting something back into his pocket as he laughed breathily from the back seat at the mess they left behind for the second time that night while Nick sped away from the scene. Nora rested her head back to take deep breaths. They had Enigma back. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she giggled along with him. Enigma smiled as he panted in the passenger's seat.

Once he'd recuperated enough to speak, he turned to them and said, "Boss, doc. I didn't expect ya to spring me."

Nora smiled at him and Joker replied, "Mmm well someone such as yourself doesn't get locked up again. That's not how I, uh, oper-ate."

Enigma looked like he didn't know what to say. He stared back at Joker and finally said, "Thanks, Boss. I, um, didn't say nothin' to 'em. For all they know, I'm a mute."

Joker responded with a low chuckle, "Good man."

Nick spoke into his walkie, alerting the team that they had Enigma. The radio hissed with static before Dome's voice came through, "Roger that, breakin' it up," with the sounds of shouting and firecrackers in the background. They took a longer route back to the warehouse to avoid road blocks near the blast site. Nora could still see red and blue flashing lights from fire trucks taming the blaze reflecting off of nearby buildings. It was amazing what they had caused, such chaos orchestrated with precision. It even seemed to take minimal effort from Joker. The ability to create such disorder and escape unscathed was certainly a talent of his.

"Any word on how Q is doing?" she asked Nick.

"Sorry, no news yet," he answered.

Suddenly, her heart jumped into her throat when she spotted police cars speeding up the street toward them. She braced herself for what was coming as they got closer, holding on to the door handle. Then they raced right past them, like they were invisible. She swiftly turned around to watch them disappear around a corner. Joker giggled and she shifted her eyes to see him watching her.

He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and smirked. Then he mimicked dialing it before holding it up to his ear and, in an uncharacteristically normal voice, he said, "Hello? Yeah, I just saw some guys in clown masks heading north on 67th!"

Nora's eyebrows shot up with surprise as he laughed. The thought of someone on the other end of that call receiving a false tip from the Joker himself and having no idea sent Nora into a fit of hilarious laughter along with him.

The atmosphere back at the warehouse was akin to that of some kind of party. Nora thought it was funny, the way an outsider could mistake their excitement for a celebration of something normal like a birthday or a retirement, not a successful act of arson with an added jail break. A few guys were nearly arrested but managed to sneak away with the disarray from the riot so everyone was in good spirits. Bottles of beer and liquor were being passed around among men with their clown masks pushed up onto the top of their heads while smaller groups laughed and chatted.

Nora was set up at a table with a light shining on a young man while she stitched a bloody gash in his arm. He winced and took a shot of clear alcohol as she passed the needle and suture through his skin.

"You might bleed more with that," she mumbled with her eyes focused on her work.

He resisted squirming while she pulled the needle through once more and said, "Ok yeah, but that don't exactly tickle."

She chuckled at him, then snipped the final knot in the suture line before dabbing blood away with gauze and stepping back to inspect it. Not to sing her own praises, but she thought it turned out looking quite good.

"Alright, you're good," she said, motioning for him to get up so another man from the small line behind him could sit down.

Dome sat in the chair in front of her as she changed her gloves and said, "Hey, doc!"

Nora chuckled, "Hi, Dome! What happened now?"

He held up his hand to show her a very swollen and purple left index finger. "Smashed it pretty good in the truck door," he said casually.

"Jesus, man! Can you move it?" she asked.

He frowned as he gave it a try but was unsuccessful. He shook his head, "Nah."

She gave him a look of sympathy and said, "Well, I don't have x-ray here but it might be broken so we'll have to just splint it for now."

He nodded and she proceeded to look through her medical bag for supplies, then put out her hand. He placed his injured hand in her palm and she gently placed a tongue depressor underneath his finger before securing it with white tape around the digit and across his palm.

"This should do it for now. Don't try to bend it, keep it immobile," she told him. Then she looked around the table before grabbing an abandoned glass with ice from a drink and poured it into the bag that the tongue depressors were in. "Ice it and keep it elevated for twenty minutes, that should help the swelling."

Her eyes shifted to the staples in his head and she said, "Remind me to look at it tomorrow and we'll get those staples out of your head."

"Thanks, doc," he chuckled and she nodded with a small smile.

"Neeext!" cried Joker as he ambled toward them. Then he took Nora's hand and spun her around before dipping her toward the floor.

"How's my dear doc-tor doing, hm?" he purred, with his nose almost touching hers.

She giggled and held on to his shoulders. "Quite well. Though these guys aren't as good a patient as you, J," she teased.

He growled and replied, "Ohhh I'll be your patient aaanytime, doll," before clicking his tongue with a smug smirk on his face.

Nora raised an eyebrow and said, "Ok, I make house calls."

Joker shuttered noticeably and grumbled in a low voice, "Mmmm I love when you talk like that." Then he suddenly stood her upright, his self-restraint showing on his face, and stiffly walked away to leave her to her work.

She smiled to herself with butterflies in her stomach. Nothing had ever made her feel the way his affections did. She turned to the handful of men standing there waiting for their injuries to be tended to and, despite her best efforts to control it, her cheeks flushed pink. _No, no, no. Just own it._

She took a deep breath, grinned at them, and said coolly, "Gentlemen? Who's next?"

After fixing up a couple more lacerations, a broken nose, and torn ear lobe, Nora's energy was running low. She heard Enigma chatting loudly at a table where Joker was sat across from him so she closed up her medical bag and headed over to join them. Joker had his shoes propped up on the table top with his ankles crossed and his sleeves rolled up. When she got close enough, she saw something in his lap.

"Bowie!" she exclaimed and the cat raised her head to blink sleepily at her. She was curled up in Joker's lap like it was perfectly normal, making Nora chuckle. "Well, I knew she liked you."

"This creature is, uh, qui-te the hunter," he said, moving his eyes toward the door where several rat carcasses were left on the floor.

"I guess you're not the only one who knows how to track down a rat," Nora giggled.

Joker let out a burst laughter, causing Bowie to jump down and stretch her legs before sauntering away. Then he dragged a chair up next to him, as close as he could, and motioned for Nora to sit.

"Enigma was just about to, uh, regale us with a tale from his time at MCU," he said as she made herself comfortable.

Enigma smirked and said, "Well, when I was waitin' for questioning, there was this guy in the cell next to me. He used to work for Carmine Falcone when he was in charge."

Joker's eyes shifted up from the knife he'd begun to fidget with and he said, "I'm listening."

"Word is that Sal wasn't supposed to take over after Carmine got locked up. His pop, Luigi, was next in line but the old man kicked the bucket right before Falcone was took away. The Falcone clan hate Sal for supposedly killin' Carmine's son, Alberto over some bad drug deal years back. This guy say they all think Sal killed his old man to make his way to the top. So he took over, but he definitely 'aint popular for it."

"In-ter-estiiing," rumbled Joker. He paused and twirled the knife blade against his fingertip. "Maroni may just be paid a visi-t by the ghosts of his past."

"What are ya thinkin', boss?" Enigma asked.

Joker grinned and said, "We'll put the kid on it later. For now, we'll take the night off."

Enigma chuckled and held up his glass. "You heard the man! To the Joker!" he called out to the other men.

The large room roared with cheers and the smashing of a few bottles on the ground as the now slightly inebriated delinquents toasted their boss. The men continued to loudly chatter as Joker looked at Nora with his contented delight showing on his face before dropping his head back over his chair and bringing two cigarettes into his mouth. He lit them and took a puff before holding one out to for Nora to take between her lips. She inhaled the calming smoke, tasting his mouth on the filter. It reminded her of the first night she'd spent there and she smiled back at him. It'd certainly been a tiring day, but Nora felt up for a bit of celebration.

They talked and laughed with Enigma and a few other men, reveling in their success. Nora told Enigma about what she'd done to Officer Morgan as he listened intently.

"So I just started sobbing and when he got closer, I stabbed him in the thigh with it and pushed the drug in. He was out in about thirty seconds, easy," she said.

Enigma started to laugh heartily and once he caught his breath, he replied, "Oh my God! Damn doc, remind me not to piss you off! That is somethin' else though."

"Oh I know some interesting ways to hurt someone," she joked.

Joker laughed loudly. "She's, uh, not wrong," he said, bouncing his eyebrows.

"It's true, J would know. I did kinda stab him in the chest," she said, chuckling.

Enigma looked confused and said, "What? I thought she helped you when you was stabbed already."

"Mmhm, she did," Joker said plainly.

Enigma looked back to Nora and she said, "Don't worry about it E, I won't stab you. Unless I have to, of course."

He chuckled and replied, "You know, I'm just gonna let this one go. The two of ya seem to know somethin' I don't, but I don't think I wanna know."

Joker and Nora laughed together before Joker said, "A fair judgment, my friend."

As they continued to chat, Joker pulled a rolled up plastic bag from his pocket after smothering out the butt from his finished cigarette on the floor. He unrolled it for Nora to see it contained almost an ounce of fragrant marijuana and some rolling papers. The pungent, earthy smell reached her nose as soon as he opened the bag to select a sticky looking bud from the bunch and began to pick it apart with his fingers. In no time, he'd evenly distributed the pieces on the small paper and rolled it up, licking the seam to seal it.

He held it out to her and said, "I'd say we deserve to relax, doll."

It'd been a long time since Nora had any weed but the prospect of smoking it with Joker was… enticing. She smiled and put the joint between her lips, leaning in for him to light it. Nora took a controlled inhale but was unable to stifle a cough.

She laughed through it while Joker chuckled, then she said, "No no, I promise I've done this before! It's just been awhile."

He looked at her with a soft gaze and replied, "I just want you to enjoy yourself, doll."

Nora smiled at him and handed him the joint after successfully keeping in another puff and slowly letting it out. He lifted the corner of his mouth and kept his eyes locked with hers as he inhaled to fill his own lungs.

It wasn't long before Nora had moved to sit in Joker's lap while they blew smoke from a second joint up toward the ceiling. She laid her head back on his shoulder, enjoying the light, floaty feeling that was coming over her. The crook of his neck was warm against her cheek and she could feel his steady breathing beneath her. It felt nice. She watched the men drinking and socializing around them, their activities suddenly more interesting than they were before. A few of them were playing a card game, stopping every minute or so to argue loudly. Another group were attempting trick shots as they threw darts at a target drawn on a large piece of cardboard, making Nora giggle. Then she overheard someone talking about Joker.

"Boss has been in a good mood lately," one voice said.

"Yeah he's sweet on the doctor. You 'aint heard about that? They were makin' out in front of some of the guys earlier. She's Joker's girl now," said another.

Nora didn't hear another word after that as blood began to rush in her ears and her stomach did cartwheels. A huge smile pulled at her cheeks and she closed her eyes. _Joker's girl._ If she heard that she'd be referred to as the Joker's girl months ago, she would have said whoever told her that was crazy. But now she was elated.

Joker chuckled and asked, "What are you giggling about, hm?"

Nora sat up on his lap and swung her leg over to straddle it. Then she grabbed Joker's face, to bring it in close to hers. She hovered her mouth over his for a moment and their breath quickened, washing over each other as they froze in place. Her parted lips tingled intensely as she waited, so close to his but not touching, sending their hearts racing. Then Nora brushed her lips against him before pressing her open mouth to his, hard. He closed his eyes and returned the fevered kiss, lacing his fingers in her hair. It felt like the first time they kissed. Goosebumps rose up over Nora's skin and her cheeks flushed hot. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Joker held the back of her head to keep her close as their mouths tangled together. All they could hear was their ragged breathing, savoring each other while the world continued on around them. Soon their movements slowed, along with their breath, and Joker held her face as they opened their eyes and released from the kiss.

He grinned at her and tucked her hair behind her ear as the two sat with their foreheads pressing together.

"Well hello there," he said in a low voice.

She smiled and giggled softly through her nose. Then it was suddenly obvious that the room was almost completely silent. The crowd of two dozen men in the warehouse around them had all stopped what they were doing at some point and were watching them. No one dared to move once they saw their boss had noticed them staring. Joker glanced around the room for a moment, licking his lips. He looked back at Nora on his lap in front of him and suddenly leaned forward to swiftly capture her lips once again. She brought her hands up to hold his face while hoots and whistles from the crowd of men echoed off the walls while they kissed, the attention on them making it feel that much more intense. The two smiled at each other once they parted, the noise around them like something out of a movie. Nora knew there was no question about it now, she was Joker's girl. The tension was gone as quickly as it had shown up, leaving the party to pick up where it left off.

Joker stood with Nora still straddling his lap, lifting her with him to wrap her legs around his waist. She giggled and held on while he walked toward the side door.

"Let's get some, uh, fresh air, doll," he said.

He kicked the door open and carried her out into the cool night air, letting her get to her feet once they reached a patch of grass. He took her hand and flopped down on his back, taking her down with him.

"Oops!" Joker chuckled, sarcastically.

His resulting fit of giggles was contagious as they shifted to lay next to each other in the grass. Nora caught her breath and blinked slowly before looking up at the sky.

It was a rare night in Gotham when you could see the stars and that night they were beautiful. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the moon was a tiny sliver. She got lost in the dark black heavens scattered with sparkling twinkles of light above her. The longer she looked, the more it felt like she was floating up there. If she reached her hand out, she swore she'd be able to touch the stars. She imagined they would feel something like cold fizzy water.

She heard Joker's voice over the chirp of crickets, "What do you think, doll?"

"I think I like being Joker's girl," she answered.

Song for this chapter: Strangeness And Charm by Florence + The Machine


	15. Chapter 15: An Alibi

**Hello! I should be going to bed right now but I just had to get this chapter posted lol. I hope you enjoy it!**

****We're kicking it off with some lengthy NSFW content!****

**Chapter Fifteen: An Alibi **

Nora laid contented in the chilled grass, closing her eyes. She let her high take her over and soon all of her senses felt like they'd reached a heightened state. She could feel each green leafy blade tickle against her skin, hear the soft breeze blowing in her ears, smell the faint scent of smoke it carried with it. She could still taste him on her lips when she licked them.

She felt a warmth radiating from above her as Joker moved to prop himself up on his hands over top of her. Her eyes opened to see his gazing straight into them. His dark pupils pulled her in as she stared back. They were dark but not menacing, they were like the sky. Then his eyes traveled along her face, taking in all of the details. Her eyelashes, the freckles on her nose, the little creases left behind from her smile. He lingered at her lips, soft and pink, inviting, before trailing down her chin to her neck. He brushed her hair aside to put his lips to the soft skin. The warm, wet sensation sent a jolt of strong tingles down her back and she gasped, suddenly gripping his shoulders.

Joker lifted his head from the crook of her neck, a small smile pulling at his lips. It seemed like he knew exactly what she felt. The electricity that flowed through her body when he touched her. Was it the weed? Nora felt a euphoric mixture of head and body high that she had never experienced before.

"Did you like that?" he purred.

Nora smiled and softly bit her lip before answering, "Yeah. I did."

He nodded slowly and asked, "Do you want more?"

She gazed into his eyes again. She could see a wordless promise of more pleasurable sensations looking back at her. A flutter of anxiety suddenly rocked her stomach. Why was she scared? What her enhanced nerve endings might do gave her a sense like she'd lose control of herself.

This hesitation must have shown on her face as Joker said, "I'll take good care of you, doll. You're in good hands."

The sincerity in his expression was unmistakable. There was a softness that calmed her worries and was allowing her to enjoy her heightened senses again. Her eyes sparkled as she nodded at him. He nodded back and sat up to offer her his hand. She took it, it was warm and soft against her own as he lead her back into the warehouse. The noise inside was almost too much. But Joker kept her eyes locked with his, keeping her grounded while he walked backwards toward the stairs to his room. It was like they were invisible, no one seemed to notice them as they floated their way up the stairs. When he closed the door, the outside world was shut out, leaving just the two of them in their own little corner of the universe. He turned on the desk lamp, bathing the room in dim, pale yellow light before approaching her slowly.

Nora felt a little rush of nerves and excitement run through her, keeping her eyes on his. Then he untied his tie and slid it off from around his neck. He took her hand again and led her to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'm gonna tie this over your eyes, don't be scared," he told her in a low voice.

She tilted her chin up and closed her eyes, inviting him to put the narrow strip of material over them. The fabric was cool and silky against her skin, blocking out all of what little light there was in the room. She took a deep, steadying breath, feeling her heart beat a little harder in her chest. Now that she couldn't see, she began to feel more attuned with her body. Blood running through tiny vessels, air filling all of the little spaces in her lungs.

"I'm gonna touch you now," she heard Joker's deep voice say and she nodded slowly.

He started slow, picking up her hand and running the pads of his fingers along her palm. She could feel the minuscule ridges in his skin moving against hers, leaving a trail of tingles behind. Then he ran his fingertips up her arm, bringing the tingles with him. Nora's lips parted as she took in the sensation. He moved his fingers from her arm to lightly grip the hem of her shirt, slowly pulling it up until it was over her head for her to feel the air on her bare skin. His hand made contact with her chest, feeling like it was both very heavy but also light and gentle, guiding her to lay on her back.

She welcomed the feeling of the sleek sheets beneath her, they felt like water without getting wet. He took her wrists in one hand and stretched her arms over her head, gently securing them together with her t-shirt but loose enough that she could break free if she wanted to. She continued to breathe, waiting for what was coming next. The mattress edge dipped under Joker's knees resting on either side of her legs before the skin on her abdomen came to life with a wonderful quivering feeling that rippled out from where he placed his mouth. Nora took in a breath and arched her back slightly while he gently gripped her sides. Then his hands dropped underneath her back to unfasten her bra before she felt his lips on her collar bone. He slid the strap off of her shoulder, leaving kisses in its place. Her breathing quickened. His mouth left small damp spots on her skin that cooled it when met with the air, leaving a kind of satisfying stinging sensation. The little stings distracted her while he continued to slide her bra off until he ran his tongue over her nipple and took it in his mouth.

A powerful gasp escaped Nora's mouth and she pushed her head back into the mattress. The slippery feeling of his lips and tongue on her nipple sent shivers through her body so violent she could barely breathe. Then he released it, giving her a moment to take heavy breaths while he ran his hands over her chest.

"You want more, doll?" he asked breathily.

Without hesitation she panted, "Yes. More."

She felt his hair tickle her skin before he began lightly licking at the space between her breasts and trailing down her abdomen. His tongue's path practically burned her while she breathed deeply. His weight on the edge of the mattress suddenly lifted and his hands gripped the waist of her pants to unbutton them. He tugged down on the fabric, removing them to gain access to more of Nora's skin. Kneeling on the floor in front of her, he gently parted her legs to make room for himself. He lifted each calf and draped her legs over his shoulders before running his mouth from her knee to her inner thigh, stopping within an inch from her panties. Her whole body stiffened as some kind of fantastic electric current ran through her while he kissed along the edge of the thin garment. She felt his hot breath warming the silky fabric as he hovered over her with his face between her legs. Her core ached terribly, begging for his mouth to make contact. She began to writhe slightly, almost unable to handle her need to feel him. Then his fingers slid beneath the waistband to slowly slip her panties down. Her wet folds were soon met with the cool air, her exposure only making her want it more. He pulled them over one bare foot, then the other, before placing his warm hands on her thighs. Goosebumps rose up over her whole body when his breath once again washed over her entrance for what felt like an eternity.

Then she suddenly felt the intense sensation of his tongue running along her slit before he swirled it over her clit. His lips made contact and he gently sucked as Nora moaned loudly. Pleasure seeped into every tissue and flooded her brain as her back arched and her muscles tightened. Each flick of his tongue pushed Nora higher and higher until she felt like she was floating above the bed, unable to control the sounds coming from her throat. A fervor burned and sparked between her legs, growing hotter and hotter until her core could no longer contain it and it exploded. Convulsions swelled from within her and she cried out as wave after wave of intense satisfaction rushed through her trembling body.

Soon she could feel the sheets beneath her once again and she drifted back into consciousness. Joker's bent knees rested on either side of her waist as he sat on top of her to release her hands and lift the tie from her eyes. She blinked them open to see his painted face looking down at her with a sort of admiration. He looked at her like she was some kind of goddess that had graced him with her presence. His hand reached up to move the hair out of her face before leaning in to kiss her. His lips were so soft and slick. Then she felt the rumpled skin making up the scars on his face and lower lip against her own. This time she really felt them. She reached up to touch them, running her fingers over every crease and crevice. Joker groaned into her mouth while he held her one of her hands to keep it at his face. She moved her mouth from his to kiss up his scars, causing him to shiver and his jaw to drop. Then from his face she kissed down his jaw, to his neck. A rumble came from his chest as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

Nora shifted to sit up and lead him onto his back while she continued to taste his skin. It was salty and a little sweet. Joker breathed heavily, laying back and taking in the sensation of Nora nipping gently at his neck. She continued kissing down to his chest, unbuttoning his shirt and vest as she went. After reaching the last button, she slipped her hands past the fabric to feel the lean muscle beneath her fingers. His breathing grew louder, keeping his eyes shut to focus on her touch. Her hands flowed over each smooth surface, little curve, and ridge that made up his torso, followed by her lips. Lower onto his abdomen, she ran her fingers down to the waist of his pants where she readily opened them to free his erection. She waited for a moment with her mouth over him to feel her breath, making him groan. Then she lightly ran her tongue up his length before taking him into her mouth. His back arched and he laced his fingers into her hair while he gasped. She continued up and down at a steady pace, lips and tongue pushing him closer to the edge until his need to be inside her was almost intolerable.

"Come 'ere," he managed to huff desperately, putting a hand at her cheek.

He lightly gripped her sides to guide her over his lap, then sat up and swiftly entered her. Nora gasped, feeling him fill her up, every bit of contact within her putting a magnificent pressure against her sensitive walls. She wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck while he held her and began to thrust. The movement only intensified the pleasure, eliciting strong moans from them both. Joker buried his face against Nora's neck while she held onto his hair and sounds continued to escape their mouths as they drowned in each other. Still panting, he reached up to hold her face and reconnect their lips. The added sensation unraveled them both, white hot flashing over their eyes. Joker let out a immense moan and Nora nearly shouted while they rode out their simultaneous release.

Then their movements slowed and soon stopped. They sat still connected for a moment, catching their breath with foreheads together. Nora untangled her legs from around him and they tipped over onto their sides while they held each other. Joker shifted his eyes up to capture hers, bringing his hands to her face. They smiled and chuckled before bringing their lips together for another kiss.

While the rest of Gotham's disconcerted night carried on, fire burning, breeze blowing, people chattering, Joker and Nora laid together wrapped up in bliss, asleep skin to skin.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds over the windows in the room where they slept. It was quiet. Nora stirred awake when Joker pressed his lips against the skin under her jaw. She smiled and cracked her eyes open before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest where she could feel his heart beating. Nora responded by running her fingers up and down his back, feeling goosebumps rise up as she went.

Joker took in a breath to sigh and said, "Good morning, doll."

"Morning, J," she replied sleepily.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, resting his chin on her head.

She chuckled and answered, "Better than I have in a long time."

"Ya knoww, I actually don't know if its morning anymore," he giggled, rolling over to look at the bedside clock. "It's eleven."

"Oh good, one hour of morning left," Nora yawned.

Joker chuckled and said, "Up and at 'em, doll face! A lot to, uh, accom-plish today."

He stood and lifted Nora by her arms to sit up, catching a glimpse of her unclothed with the sheets fallen down to her waist. She yawned once more and stretched with her arms over her head.

"Now this, I could get used to," he said in a deep voice with a smirk.

Nora returned the smirk before falling onto her back into the pillows. Joker chuckled and walked into the bathroom. Soon Nora heard the sound of the shower running and he came back into the room to scoop her out of the bed and sling her over his shoulder.

"Time to get up!" he said as she screamed with laughter while he carried her to the bathroom and into the shower.

Her giggles slowed as he positioned her under the water to wet her hair while he used a bar of soap to clean the paint from his face off of her body. She looked down and smiled at him, the water beginning to wash away streaks of paint from his face. Then she took the soap and lathered up her hands.

"Close your eyes," she told him before scrubbing his face with her hands and guiding him to the spray of water to wash it off.

He rubbed his eyes and opened them to ask her, "Did you bring your scrubs, doll?"

"Uh, yeah," she giggled. "Why?"

"Ohhh, just cur-ious," he answered.

Nora brushed her hair while she watched Joker lean toward the mirror, shaving the stubble from his face, more carefully around his scars. After he finished, he smeared a fresh coat of his signature paint on his face then proceeded to knot his tie. She eyed his attire with a little smile on her face, his vision eventually catching her staring.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Like what you see, doll?"

"I do," she grinned. She wasn't certain, but Nora was pretty sure she was the only one to ever observe the Clown Prince's morning routine. Contrary to what she thought at first, it's not that he doesn't care about hygienics, its just a matter of if he took the time for it.

He ran his fingers through his hair before offering her his arm. She smiled and took it to accompany him into the warehouse. He opened the door and they trotted down the stairs toward the men waiting below.

"Alright! Let's get to it," Joker called out jovially.

They approached a table where Enigma, a young guy with red hair, and a couple of other somewhat familiar faces sat around a box of doughnuts. Joker pulled out a chair for Nora before plopping himself down next to her.

Enigma exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and said, "Mornin', boss. Mornin', doc. We got ourselves an update on Q."

"Ahh well that's, uh, lovely news," Joker replied, reaching for a pack of cigarettes on the table and helping himself to two of them.

Nora's eyes got wide and she did her best to ask calmly, "So? How is he then?" as Joker held out a smoke and a lit match for her.

"Thanks to you, doc, alive and well. Had surgery yesterday afternoon, now he's recoverin' with his room guarded by a cop. Supposed to be released tomorrow," answered Enigma.

Nora sighed with relief, blinking her eyes slowly. "I'm glad he's ok," she said.

"So that's the first hurdle. He's a-live, now we need him back here," said Joker. "I assume our friend will be arrested upon his discharge from the, uh, hospital?"

Enigma nodded. Nora looked down at the table and thought about it for a moment before suddenly looking to Joker.

"So that's why we need my scrubs, then?" she asked him. He responded with a mischievous grin and Nora laughed. "Ok well this will be interesting," she chuckled.

Joker picked up a doughnut from the box on the table and took a bite. "The fiery-haired kid here can, uh, procure us some I.D.s," he said through a mouthful of sweet bread.

The red head flinched to attention and his cheeks flushed. Nora figured he must be new around there since he was so jumpy around J.

"What's your name again?" Enigma asked him.

He swallowed and said, "Um. Its Adam," looking down at the table.

"Hmmm well you need a code name, uh, Adam," said Joker, tilting his head. "How a-bout Override?"

Adam looked up and smiled a little, "I like that, boss."

The newly named Override got to work on making hospital I.D.s for Joker and Nora at his laptop nearby while they prepared to discuss the specifics of a plan.

"So where did he come from?" Nora asked quietly.

Enigma shifted his eyes to Override briefly before answering, "Says he's getting' outta a bad home life. I think he's like nineteen or somethin'. Came around a spot where Nick recruits a few days ago offering his services as a hacker. Course I had to put him through the paces first ta make sure he 'aint no narc."

Nora nodded and said, "I hope the guys are going easy on him. By the way, Nick doesn't sound like a code name."

Enigma chuckled and said, "Psh, that 'aint his real name! It's short for Saint Nicholas cause when he come around, it's like Christmas!"

They burst into a fit of laughter together as Joker approached carrying two mugs of coffee. "And what's sooo funny?" he asked, handing a mug to Nora.

"Thanks, J. Enigma was just telling me how Nick got his name," Nora giggled.

Joker chuckled and said, "Ahhh yes, Saint Nicholas. He, uh, brings us presents," to which Nora and Enigma broke into another round giggles while he sipped his coffee.

"Hey, where's my coffee?" Enigma chuckled.

"Do I sleep with you? Hm? Get it yourself!" Joker answered, pointing toward the kitchen. Enigma sprang from his chair and headed across the room while Nora laughed so hard her sides ached.

She finally took a few deep breaths as her laughter died down, Joker looking at her with a smug expression.

"Mmmhm, that's what I though-t. I'm funnier," he stated, licking his lip.

They sat at the table for the next hour or so, putting together a strategy for getting in and out of Gotham General with Q, all while doing it unnoticed. Joker was good at blending in when he wanted to but that was a lot of people to fool. Their plan had to be just complex enough to work, but simple enough to go smoothly. They needed working I.D.s, a good excuse to be there, and a stealthy getaway.

Override approached Nora sitting alone at the table and asked her, "What do you want your names to be?"

She looked up from her medical book and replied, "Well, what do you think?"

"How about Laura Foster and Peter Willis? Average. Found the names in the hospital database, she's a cardiologist and he's a nurse. They both work at different hospitals now but left Gotham General recently," he answered.

Nora raised her eyebrows, blinked, and said, "Wow. Ok, yeah. Yeah that sounds great."

He nodded and walked back to his computer as she watched him, a bit dumbfounded. Then she saw Joker coming toward her from the side door, grinning at her.

"So, did you know that kid is kind of a genius?" she asked.

He chuckled and answered, "Well I think that's using the term loose-ly but, yes I did. Why else would I, uh, keep him around? Come 'ere, I got something to show ya."

She followed him out the door where he lead her toward the loading dock. Nora would be lying if she said she wasn't a little nervous about what he wanted to show her. Ironically, she could always expect him to be unpredictable. They rounded the corner where a black hearse was parked. On the side of the vehicle, Nick had just carefully finished stenciling, "Gordon Funeral Services" in white letters.

"Why not pay a little tribute to our dear comm-issioner while we're at it?" he chuckled.

Nora smirked at his antics and said, "So this is our getaway car? I like it."

"Ohhh I see the gears turning in that beautiful brain of yours, doll," he purred, wrapping his arms around her. She grinned at him and leaned into his embrace.

"I think I know our alibi," she said.

Nick stood at the table and buttoned up hit white shirt before attempting, with more than some difficulty, to knot a black tie around his neck. Joker came down the stairs drying his clean face with a towel, noticing Nick struggling with his tie. He rolled his eyes and approached him to move his hands out of the way before proceeding to tie it for him.

"Thanks, boss. I don't really wear ties ever," said Nick.

Joker scoffed a little and replied, "A completely useless, yet fashion-able article of clothing." Then he looked up toward the ceiling for a moment and grinned before adding, "Well it does have some, uh, alter-native uses."

Nick raised his eyebrows and said, "Ok, I don't need to know what those are."

Joker responded with a bark of a laugh before telling him, "Oh I'm sure you can come up with, uh, some of your own," then clicked his tongue and let go of the completed Windsor knot.

Override came up from behind him and stopped in his tracks when Joker turned around. He stood speechless and stared at his bare face, unable to look away. He was frozen in place as Joker slowly approached with his eyes locked on him, his height towering over Override's shorter stature.

"Well did you buy a ticke-t to the freak show? Hm?" Joker growled down at him.

His eyes went wide and he immediately shook his head. Joker nodded slowly as he scowled, before placing his hand on the top of Override's head and turning it to the side, breaking their gaze. Then Joker licked at his scars and walked away, leaving the young man trembling and trying to control his ragged breathing.

"Yeah, he doesn't like it when ya stare at 'im without his paint on," said Nick.

Override sat down in a nearby chair and took a deep breath, dropping his head into his hands. "Ok, I understand. I won't do it again," he said.

Nick sighed and sat next to him, lowering his voice to tell him, "Hey. It's ok, man. He 'aint gonna kill ya for that. Just scare ya a little. Just act normal, you'll be fine."

"Ok, ok. Yeah, I get it. I just feel like such an asshole a-and a coward," Override panted.

"Psh, you 'aint no coward. You took a job with the Joker dude. You'll get used to it, just relax," replied Nick.

Override nodded his head and took another deep breath to answer, "Ok, I'll try."

Nora came down the stairs dressed in her green scrubs and a clean white lab coat. She approached them with a concerned look on her face.

"Is he ok?" she asked, gesturing to Override.

"Oh yeah, he'll be fine. Just gettin' used to the boss is all," said Nick.

She smiled and nodded before telling him, "He's right, you'll be fine."

Override finally began to breathe normally and stood to retrieve something from his pocket. He held out two plastic cards with a magnetic strip down their side and the Gotham General Hospital logo on the front. One had the name "Dr. Laura Foster, Cardiology" and the other, "Peter Willis, RN" printed in black below the clip to hold them to their clothes.

"One for you and one for the boss, " he said. "They'll open any door in the hospital but they're encrypted so the scanner won't record it."

Nora took them from him to inspect the details. They were perfect.

"These are amazing," she told him with a smile and he grinned back at her.

"Lookin' good, doc!" Enigma's voice called from across the room.

She smoothed out the front of her white coat and replied, "Why, thank you. I thought it was a nice touch."

Enigma walked up to them and pulled out a chair to sit, putting his feet up on the table. "Are we ready to go do this?" he asked.

"We? You aren't going anywhere," Joker said from behind him.

The group looked up to see Joker dressed in one of Nora's larger pairs of navy blue scrubs. She liked them baggy, but on him the sleeves still hugged his biceps and broad shoulders fairly snugly. Nora's lips stretched into a little grin while she admired the way the uniform accentuated his frame and laid just loose enough at his waist.

"Youu stay here in case we need backup," he told Enigma.

Enigma raised his eyebrows and said, "Lookin' good, boss. I figured as much."

Joker shifted his gaze to Nora and said, "Mmm well hope-fully this won't take long," a smirk forming on his face as his eyes traveled her outfit. "I like it, doll," he said in a deep voice before approaching her to put his arms around her waist.

She took her lip between her teeth as she grinned back then said, "Are you ready, nurse Willis?" holding up the I.D.

He shivered while she attached it to the front pocket of his scrubs. "Ohhh doc, I'm ready for any-thing," he rumbled, taking her face in his hands.

He brought his lips to hers then said, "Let's go."

Nick climbed into the front seat of the hearse while Joker and Nora got in the back to sit on the empty casket platform where an old stretcher waited. He started the large car and pulled away from the warehouse. Nora crouched in place, going over the plan in her head when she heard Nick's voice from the front.

"I swear, if you two make out back there I am turning this hearse around," he said.

Nora smiled while Joker laughed loudly.

"Niiiick, do you have no respect for the dead? This is a used hearse," he giggled.

They smirked at each other and remained quiet for the rest of the ride to Gotham General. Nora appreciated Joker's relaxed demeanor when they were about to do something risky but she still couldn't keep her nerves away. Maybe that'll make her more careful. They carried only a few weapons to keep themselves lighter and less conspicuous. They were more likely to get caught if they left a body trail, after all. Nora had a small Glock tucked into her waistband and Joker carried another along with a trusty switchblade. Nick pulled the hearse up near the back entrance to the hospital and turned around to face them.

"Keep the engine running, alert us on the pager of any, uh, funny business," said Joker.

He nodded and replied, "This horror bus 'aint goin' nowhere."

Joker giggled and clicked his tongue, "Good man."

They waited for a moment until it was clear and swiftly got out of the hearse to walk toward the employee entrance to the hospital while Nick pulled into the spaces near the morgue. Nora kept her breathing steady and her view focused on the door. She felt a queasy feeling in her stomach just before Joker swiped his I.D. badge in the reader. The light turned green and it unlocked. It worked. He flung the door open and Nora promptly went down the hall for supplies while Joker slipped into a bathroom and locked the door.

Nora's eyes scanned carts and shelves in the hallway. Sheets, hospital gowns, blankets, gloves. Nope. She searched until she found what she was looking for. _Ah! _Surgical caps and masks. She quickly grabbed two of each and marched her way back to the bathroom where Joker waited. She whistled quietly just outside the door and it unlocked. Then she casually went in and locked it behind her.

"Good on ya, doll. That was fast," said Joker, putting the cap over his green hair and tying the back.

She nodded and said, "It's empty out there, for now," tying her own cap.

He paused before putting the mask on then suddenly backed Nora up against the wall to pin her there with his chest and feverishly brought his mouth to hers. She tensed up at first, then her body relaxed and she returned the kiss, holding on to his face. He took a deep breath and pulled away to lick his lips.

"Now I'm ready," he said, bringing the mask over his nose and mouth.

Nora suppressed a giggle and grinned at him as she exited the bathroom. Then she walked up the hall toward the main entrance hall of the hospital. Her heart sped up when a couple of radiology technicians passed her, but they were too busy with their own conversation to notice her. Meanwhile, Joker went the other direction to find an unoccupied computer where he plugged in a flash drive and took out his phone to dial it.

"Ok kid, you're on," he said, keeping the phone to his ear.

After a minute or so, Override's voice came over the speaker saying, "Ok, I found his file. He's in room 3014. Intermediate care, main hospital."

"Good," Joker said before hanging up.

Nora still stood in the hall near the elevators, getting anxious. She took a few breaths, trying to stay calm. Everything was going fine, she had to keep a cool head. Then she heard her name. She whipped her head around toward the sound to see the news on a television in the waiting room next to her.

"Thanks to an anonymous tip, the woman seen outside of Gotham General with the Joker yesterday morning has been identified as local resident, Nora Hawthorne," the Gotham Tonight anchor said. "Miss Hawthorne is presumed to have been taken hostage by the dangerous criminal and police are currently searching for her. If you see this woman, please notify Gotham PD immediately."

_Goddammit, Jen._

Her hand began to shake as she pulled her surgical mask over her face, subtly looking around her. The sight of a security guard walking down the hall nearly sent her into a cold sweat until he exited through a door and she saw Joker coming toward her, rolling an ECG machine to blend in. She let go of the breath she was holding and tried to slow her racing heart.

He stopped next to her and said through his mask, "Room 3014."

"I was just on the news," she whispered quickly. "One of the people I work with recognized me and told the cops. They think you kidnapped me."

She could tell by Joker's narrowed eyes that he was scowling. Then he blinked, relaxing his brow and said, "Well isn't that in-ter-esting. We'll put a pin in tha-t."

She stared at him for a moment then nodded. There was nothing they could do about it now. They had to get Q and get out. Besides, she was unlikely to be recognized dressed like that. The two proceeded to the elevators where they boarded the next empty one. Or it was empty, until a woman in very brightly colored scrubs caught the doors before they closed and pushed her way through them.

"Six please," she said, not making eye contact.

Nora hit the button for six, staring straight ahead, focusing on not drawing the woman's attention and reading the directory in front of her. _Third floor, Soft Tissue Surgery, Intermediate Care Rooms 3000-3050. _She quickly slapped the button just in time and the doors opened to the third floor for them to rush past the woman as she huffed. Once they were off the elevator, Nora looked Joker in the eyes and he nodded slowly. She nodded back before walking with purpose toward the entrance to Intermediate Care and pushed the doors open.

The unit was buzzing with activity. Nurses going in and out of patient rooms from their station, patients being pushed in wheel chairs, doctors going over charts. If this was going to work, she had to be confident, blend in. _You are a doctor, after all._ She took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"There's our man," said Joker.

Nora looked to their left to see a police officer standing in front of a door to one of the patient rooms. _3014._ Q was just past that door, they just had to go get him. She felt a surge of self-resolve welling up inside her as she watched the cop yawn and cross his arms. She'd already incapacitated a cop once before, what's another? She nodded with a small smile and walked toward the guarded room, keeping her eyes on the officer.

"Excuse me, officer?" she said as they approached. "I believe that my patient in there is due in the Cath lab."

"The what?" he asked.

She crossed her arms to mirror him and replied, "The Cath lab. My nurse and I are here to take him for his procedure in the Cath lab."

"No one ever told me about a procedure today," he said, shaking his head.

"Well you're not medical staff, are you?" she said coolly. "Unless you'd like to fix that post-op thrombus in his leg?"

He tsked at her through his teeth before answering, "Ok. But I gotta escort you."

"No problem, officer," she said, smiling behind her mask as he reached for his keys to unlock the door.

Song for this chapter: Strangeness and Charm by Florence + The Machine (again for the beginning, it's a good song!). Hearse Trip by OCD (for the rest)

**Ahhhh a cliffhanger! Sorryyyy it was a great place for that cliff to hang from :) **

**This chapter was a bit longer, I hope you liked it. Let me know that you think, I'd love to hear from you!**

**As always, comments welcome and appreciated!**


	16. Chapter 16: Another Cold, Dead Corpse

**Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you're ready for this one! *Heads up, some scenes involve death or take place in a hospital morgue***

**Chapter Sixteen: Another Cold, Dead Corpse**

Nick leaned against the hood of the black hearse with his ankles crossed, waiting. He reached into his pocket to retrieve a cigarette and proceeded to light it while he watched the coroner's van pull up to the back exit of the hospital.

"Sir, I'm sorry but you can't smoke here," a voice said from behind him.

He turned around to face a hospital employee that had approached him. She wore a plastic apron and "Morgue Attendant" was printed in large letters on her I.D. badge.

He smothered out the embers on the pavement and replied, "Ah, I'm sorry about that. I guess I didn't know."

"Well there's a sign," she said, pointing at the large no smoking symbol posted nearby. "Are you here for a pick up?"

"Uh, yeah. Seems like there's been a delay," he answered, looking toward the entrance.

"Oh, do you have a release form?" she asked.

He patted the pockets of his black slacks and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Yep, here ya go," he said, handing it to her.

Her eyes scanned the document for a moment before she said, "Ok, I'll check the list. Special religious requests can get held up sometimes. Give me a moment."

Nick let out a deep breath and eyed the employee while she walked away. Then he reached into another pocket for his phone to type out a message.

Joker's phone buzzed in his pocket while the police officer stationed outside Q's room unlocked the door and opened it. He and Nora followed, stepping into the dimly lit room and closing the door behind them. A machine quietly monitored his vital signs, displayed on a screen next to a reclined bed where Q laid dressed in a hospital gown, looking almost ten pounds lighter with a bundle of wires attached to his chest. His right wrist was handcuffed to the bed rail and his left had an IV catheter placed with a name band that read, "Nadir Almasi". He opened his eyes and they grew wide for a moment before he forced a relaxed expression on his face.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Almasi," said Nora.

He nodded and replied, "Afternoon, doc."

She kept eye contact with him as she continued, "I'm Doctor Foster. Peter and I are here to get you prepped for your thrombectomy and take you down to the Cath lab. Are you ready?"

Q gazed back at her, reading the intense look in her eyes and nodded again slowly before the cop spoke up, "I'll need to go with you."

"Yes you've made that clear, officer," she quipped.

"Hey, you don't get to speak to me that way. This man may be your patient but it's also my responsibility to make sure that this piece of shit goes from this hospital and into custody, nowhere else. I'm in charge here, not you," the flustered officer stated, pointing his finger at her.

Nora felt anger bubbling up inside her but kept a poised expression and turned to face him. Her eyes shifted to Joker as he stood behind the man, his hand wrapped around the switchblade from his pocket as he kept his eyes on Nora. Then she focused her gaze back on the officer to read his badge.

"Officer Donoghue, I understand the need for due process but wouldn't you rather he was alive for that?" she told him calmly. "If that clot in his leg dislodges and ends up in his lungs, he'll likely die. Could you uncuff him for me please?"

"Look, I don't like you and I don't really care but Commissioner would have my ass so alright. But I will be accompanying him and you will stay quiet about it," he huffed.

Then he muttered curses as he reached for his keys to lean over the bed and unlock Q's handcuffs. Before he could straighten himself back up, Joker pulled the officer's arm behind his back to then pin him against his chest with the switchblade at his throat.

"Sshh sh sh shh. Make a souund and you're done for. Got i-t?" Joker hissed in his ear.

The cop breathed heavily and started to tremble as he carefully nodded. Q smirked from his bed and rubbed his freed wrist.

"Look, we have somewhere to be and you're in our way," said Nora. "Personally, I think you're awfully self-righteous, I don't like you either and I certainly don't trust you."

Joker chuckled and said, "So what'll it be, officer? Easy way or hard way? Hm?"

Officer Donoghue gulped against the knife blade and answered, "There is no easy way. But if you kill me, they'll catch you before you're outta here. I promise you. Blood everywhere, it would give you away."

"You sure about that?" Nora asked as she eyed the ECG cart Joker had rolled in with them. Sitting on the second shelf of the cart was an old-school manual defibrillator with two paddles. She took a couple of steps toward the machine and hit the power switch, bringing it to life. Then she looked the officer in the eyes as sweat began to drip down his temple before she turned back to the device and hit the charge button with the joules set to maximum, causing it to emit a high pitched beep. A devilish grin stretched over Joker's face.

"So it's the hard way thenn," Joker growled.

"You won't get away," Donoghue spat, his voice shaking as Nora stared at him and took the paddles in her hands. A red light blinked on and flashed "DEFIBRILLATE".

"We'll see," she replied. "Let go and stand back."

Joker released the man, pushing him forward for Nora to slam the metal paddles on either side of his chest then squeeze her thumbs over buttons on the handles. A sound like something heavy had slapped him across the chest echoed through the room and the officer's body jolted upward violently before falling limp to the floor.

Joker and Q watched as Nora dropped the paddles and stooped down to put her ear to his chest. She could feel the vibration of his heart twitching rapidly in his chest. Then she put two fingers against the side of his neck. Nothing. _Ventricular fibrillation. He'll go into cardiac arrest soon unless he's shocked again. He'll die. _She sat on her knees on the cold floor and stared at him. There was a push to grab the paddles and try to shock him back into normal rhythm but something was holding her back.

"What's the verdic-t, doc?" asked Joker.

Her eyes shifted from the dying officer to Joker. He gazed back at her, his eyes drawing all of the adrenaline inducing power that he'd given her up to the surface. He'd shown her what she was capable of. Take what was once order and with the push of a button, it becomes chaos. No one was exempt, not the cop, not even herself. That feeling holding her back and telling her to leave the man there, do nothing, intensified. _It's done. Leave him._

Suddenly she stood up and said, "Let's go."

Joker dragged the cop's body into the bathroom to close the door and break the lock while Nora took the catheter out of Q's arm. Then she slowly opened the door to the hallway. Business as usual carried on outside, the busy hospital staff caring very little about anything that wasn't their current task. She nodded that the coast was clear before she and Joker unlocked the wheels on either side of Q's bed and started to roll it out of his room. They passed through some double doors before going down a long hall and making a left. The further from his room they got, the more Nora felt excitement that they were getting closer to freedom battle with her worry that they'd be discovered. A right turn and they reached another elevator where Joker swiped his badge. The doors opened and they pulled the bed into the empty elevator car. Once the doors shut, Joker began to giggle loudly before reaching over Q and grabbing Nora's face. He pulled his mask down and then hers to kiss her. Nora's lips smiled against his before leaning in and returning the kiss. Q raised his eyebrows as he watched them.

Joker released her lips and said, "That. Was. Fantastic. You truly are remark-able, doll face."

"Thanks J," she said, smiling back at him.

Nora's worry suddenly faded. Taking matters into her own hands had never felt so good. She'd faced tense situations before, sure. She'd also been responsible for both life and death before. But not for a person. The way she saw it, she traded his life for Q's. Q deserved it more.

"Thank you," Q said quietly.

Nora looked at him and smiled as Joker replied, "No, uh, need for thanks. How are ya holdin' up, Nadir?"

Q looked down at his hands before answering, "I'm ok. In a bit of pain. Have a little less of my liver than before."

"I'm so sorry this happened. It's my fault," Nora said, grabbing his hand.

A confused expression came over his face and Q said, "No. No it's not. The dickhead who shot me, it's his fault, not yours."

"Mmm well you needn't worry about him," Joker chuckled, checking the message on his phone.

The elevator doors opened while Joker and Nora pulled their masks back over their faces and the three of them remained quiet as they rolled the bed down a quiet hall.

Nick nervously fidgeted with the car keys in his pocket as his eyes shifted between his watch and the exit doors. Another hearse and a van came and went, no sign of Joker or Nora.

The morgue attendant approached him again and said, "The death certificate went through about an hour ago so you're a bit early."

"Oh. Ok well no point in leaving now, I'll just wait here," Nick replied.

She nodded and said, "It shouldn't be long. The patient requested a Muslim funeral so we won't be doing anything to the body here, he should come straight through without any processing."

Nick felt his phone vibrate while she walked away and quickly pulled it from his pocket. He read, "have q. keep them busy. on our way." displayed on the screen.

Joker and Nora pushed Q's bed into an empty exam room not far from the elevator and closed the door.

"Show me your best impersonation of a corpse," said Joker as Nora took off her white coat and rolled a gurney out of the corner of the room. It had tall panels at the head and foot with a cover on top

"What?" asked Q.

Joker raised his eyebrows and said, "A corpse. A dead body. Someone without a pulse."

Q looked at the gurney Nora was rolling toward him and asked, "I have to get in that?"

"How else do you expect to just leave here? You're dead, no questions asked." Joker answered.

Nora pulled the stiff fabric cover off of the gurney to reveal a compartment big enough to fit an average sized man with a body bag inside. She unzipped the bag and laid it open on the gurney.

"You're serious," said Q.

"Dea-d serious," Joker answered in a deep voice.

Q stared at the body bag, the color slowly draining from his face while Nora said, "You won't be in there long. We'll go straight through the morgue and outside. Nick is waiting there so we need to hurry."

He kept his eyes on the gurney like he was staring his own mortality in the face while he pulled the covers off of himself and winced as he carefully sat up. Nora stepped up to his bed and crouched down to put one of his arms over her shoulder while Joker took the other arm over his. They stood him up and eased him onto the gurney. The plastic of the black body bag crinkled underneath him as he lifted his legs and slid them inside of it. He laid himself down with Joker's help, taking deep breaths through the strain it put on his tender abdomen. Then Joker placed a labeled tag from his pocket around his ankle while Nora pulled the white top sheet off of his bed and held it as she stood over him.

"Ok, do it," he said, putting his arms to his sides.

She cleared her throat and said, "Um, we gotta take that off," pointing at the flimsy gown he was wearing.

He raised his eyebrows at her, watching for any sign that she was kidding with him. But her expression remained unchanged.

"Sorry Q, corpses don't wear clothes," she said. "They might wanna confirm the identity of the body before we go. We can't risk anything looking suspicious."

He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily while he pulled the gown off of his body and tossed it aside as Nora averted her eyes.

Then she quickly laid the sheet over Q and tucked it under him before zipping up the body bag.

"Atta boy. Now this should be obvious to you, but don't move," Joker chuckled, leaning over the gurney.

They placed the cover back over the frame and slowly rolled the contraption out into the hallway. It wasn't long before they passed a hospital employee and Nora felt her own heart nearly stop, but she managed to keep her composure as they approached. She prepared herself to say something to them, explain where they were going, but upon recognizing the concealment gurney, they didn't look twice. The employee bowed his head and stood to the side to let them pass while Nora tried hard not to smile. Their plan was working. She and Joker made eye contact before continuing their journey to the elevators. A few people waited to board the elevator car, but again Joker and Nora were given priority to enter alone. She almost felt bad taking advantage of their respect for the dead.

Once again, when the doors slid shut, Joker broke into a fit of laughter. Nora joined him this time, the rush of their escape working perfectly making her almost as giddy as he was.

"What? Can I get outta here?" Q's muffled voice said from beneath the layers of fabric.

Joker stifled his laughter and answered, "No such luck, my friend. Now stop using up your, uh, precious oxy-gen."

He swiped his badge and hit the button for the basement. They kept straight faces once again and pulled the gurney out of the elevator toward another set of doors at the end of a dimly lit hallway labeled "MORGUE". Nora swiped her badge and pushed the double doors open.

The air suddenly felt colder, like they'd stepped outside on a chill morning, causing a shiver to run down Nora's back. The strong smell of disinfectant mixed with some other chemical odor burned her nostrils. They passed through a room with a tiled floor and a series of small metal doors along the walls. Refrigerated compartments. Multiple had labels indicating they were occupied with bodies awaiting either identification by family or autopsy if they had died under suspicious circumstances. In a place like Gotham, it was more often the latter.

The next hallway led to more sterilized rooms where attendants prepared bodies for their next stop in the long chain of events before leaving the place. It gave Nora the creeps. They swiftly passed all of them, heading for the exit.

"Can I help you?" a voice said from behind them.

They turned around to face a morgue attendant wearing rubber boots and a face shield with specks of blood on it.

Nora's stomach churned a bit before answering, "Yes, um, we have a religious exemption."

"Release form?" he asked curtly, thrusting out his gloved hand.

Joker pulled a folded paper from his pocket and handed it over, the seemingly bored attendant not noticing a piercing stare from the pair of dark eyes in front of him as he took it.

After inspecting the document, he narrowed his eyes with suspicion and said, "Alright, I gotta check the tag."

Nora noticed Joker's brow furrowing above his mask as the man blocking their path rolled the gurney into an empty examination room that was even colder than the hallway, giving her goosebumps. She pushed the fear that was threatening to consume her aside and allowed her anger to take over. They made it that far, they weren't leaving empty handed. Nora followed Joker's lead, seeing a glint in his eye when she passed him.

The attendant removed the plastic shield from his face before he set the break on the gurney and pulled the cover off. Then he gripped the zipper and opened the body bag. _Don't move, Q. Don't move._ He pulled the sheet up by Q's feet to read the tag around his ankle before dropping it and thumbing through the forms on his clip board. Nora clenched her fists behind her back as she kept her eyes focused on the sheet. The shape of Q's body beneath it remained perfectly still as he took shallow breaths that she could only see when she looked carefully.

"Well Nadir Almasi hasn't been identified by his next of kin yet. We can't let him go until that happens," the attendant said, looking up from his clip board.

"No, the family was present at the time of death. You don't need to drag them down here for that," replied Nora.

The man sighed and said, "Yes, I see that. But I don't care. I have a protocol to go by. No family I.D. means he goes into refrigeration until that happens."

Nora's heart started pounding and she fought to keep her voice calm, "That really isn't necessary. They were just here when his death certificate was signed."

"Then it'll be easy to get them back here," he said.

He turned around to pick up the receiver from the phone mounted on the wall. But before he could dial it, Joker quickly had him in a tight head lock.

"So you see, uh, friend, youu aren't as important as you think you are," Joker said, as he flung him around to pin him against the wall, bringing them face to face with each other. "You could easily be jus-t another… col-d, dea-d corpse, like Nadir here. Just one litt-le cu-t in the right pl-ace," he growled brining his switchblade up against the man's belly.

The petrified man opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound as Joker slowly pulled his mask down from his mouth and the man's eyes were drawn to his mangled scars. He began to hyperventilate in Joker's grip as Nora watched from behind him, her expression harsh and unyielding. She pulled down her own mask when his eyes darted toward her.

"O-Oh my god," he stuttered.

Joker smirked a little and said casually, "Hm, funny. You seem awfully afraid of death for being, uh, surrounded by it every day. Maybe you know too much. What happens after blood ceases to reach that brain of yours? Hm? Nothing. Nothing happens. That's what is soo terri-fying," pressing the knife a little harder against the man's abdomen as he spoke.

Tears streamed down from the attendant's eyes as helplessly clutched Joker's arm against his chest. "Please. Don't," he huffed.

"Don't wha-t?" Joker asked, raising his eyebrows.

"P-Please don't k-kill me," the man choked out.

Joker rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as he pretended to think about it before he answered.

"Since you asked so nice-ly," he said as he let go of the attendant to grab the back of his head. Then he slammed it down hard against the metal table, then letting him fall to the floor.

Q spoke from beneath the sheet, "Can I move now?"

"No!" Joker and Nora said in unison.

Then they pulled their masks back up and Nora zipped the body bag as Joker pushed the attendant's body out of sight underneath the metal supplies table. He felt for a pulse on the man's wrist for a moment.

"Hm. Oops," he giggled before dropping the lifeless wrist and standing to help Nora with the gurney cover. It was obvious that her was grinning at her from behind his mask. She couldn't help but grin back. All things considered, leaving behind a body count of two wasn't too bad.

They hurried back into the less frigid hallway that was now fortunately unoccupied. The foot of the gurney pushed the hinged exit doors open, ushering a relieving blast of warm summer air as they made it outside. The last bit of daylight was starting to fade. The hearse was parked at the bottom of a ramp that Joker and Nora rolled the gurney down. As they approached, Nora saw Nick chatting up a female morgue attendant. _Smooth._

"Ah! There you are!" he called to them, throwing his hand into the air.

Nick turned to the woman and whispered something in her ear, making her giggle and playfully slap him on the arm. He handed her a small piece of paper before she passed Joker and Nora, avoiding eye contact with her cheeks showing a hue of pink. He opened the back doors of the hearse and rolled the stretcher out from the rack inside while Joker raised his eyebrows at him and Nora smirked.

He stopped to look at them and said, "What?"

"You sly fox," Joker chuckled.

"Nuh uh, no, you said keep them busy. So I did. There's nothing written on that," he replied.

"Mmmhm. Ok, Romeo," said Joker as he and Nora giggled and lifted the cover from the gurney.

Nick chuckled when he saw the body bag and said, "Hi, Q. Comfortable?"

A muffled, "No," was barely audible from inside the bag.

The three of them carefully lifted it to heave him from the gurney onto the stretcher before pushing it back into the hearse.

Nora shoved the hospital gurney back toward the ramp before she and Joker jumped into the back of the hearse. Nick hustled to the driver's seat and started the engine to swiftly pull away from the building, making their escape.

Joker unzipped the body bag at the top and pulled down the sheet from Q's face, who's eyes shifted toward him.

"You make an ex-cellent corpse, Q," Joker teased.

Q blinked and said, "I'd like to put some clothes on now."

"So modest! Don't worry, we're takin' you home," Joker replied.

Nora took the surgery cap off of her head and smiled at them. It hadn't been very long but she was starting feel like these men were some sort of dysfunctional family to her. She didn't really have any family left at that point. Her parents had passed on and she didn't have any other living relatives that she was aware of. It looked as though this was her new life. She was ok with that.

She suddenly gasped when the hearse turned a corner to come face to face with a line of police cars blocking the road, the flashing red and blue lights coming on and nearly blinding them. Nick slammed on the breaks and put the car in reverse to attempt to go back but the wheels skidded in place beneath the heavy vehicle while two police cars pulled forward to block the path behind them. Nora's heart started pounding and she felt nauseous. _No no no no!_ She looked to Joker whose expression fell into a scowl as he watched officers get out of their cars to duck behind the open doors with their guns drawn.

"Freeze! Stay where you are and no one gets hurt!" boomed a voice over a megaphone.

"What do we do?" asked Nora.

Joker remained silent for a moment, staring at the wall of officers in front of them. Then he quietly said, "We get arrested. You'll be taken into protective custody. You were kidnapped and held against your will."

Nora's eye widened and she shook her head, "No! No that's not going to happen!"

Joker reached out to hold her face, "You need to tell them I made you do those things. I forced you."

Nora couldn't speak. She only closed her eyes and shook her head in Joker's hands as a tear rolled down her cheek.

The voice came over the megaphone again, "Release Nora Hawthorne unharmed or we send in the SWAT." They were negotiating for her release. Someone must have recognized her at the hospital.

Nora's eyes flew open and shifted to Joker's before she tried to open the back door of the hearse.

"No no no! No ya don't!" her said, reaching to grab her arm.

She looked back at him, locking him in her gaze. The look in her eyes said everything. She was going to do this whether he liked it or not.

"Get out of here as fast as you can. If I'm out there, they won't fire at you. You can get away," she said.

Joker remained focused on her eyes, his stare unwavering as he moved to crouch in front of her at the back of the hearse, dropping to his knees. He wrapped his arms around her before capturing her lips with his. She embraced him tightly and kissed him back, taking in the sensation like it was her last chance, but hoping that it wasn't. Their mouths parted and they kept their noses pressed together.

"I'll find you," she said softly, before breaking out of his arms to open the door and jump out.

Nora ran in front of the hearse with her hands in the air, turning her face away from the bright lights shining at her. The officers called out for her to get on her knees and she quickly obliged. Behind her, the hearse backed up and plowed past the police cars in the road as they kept their guns aimed on it but didn't fire. Once it was gone, a few officers holstered their weapons and came running to Nora, helping her to her feet as she dropped her head into her hands and let silent tears stream from her eyes. Her body shook with unsteady breaths while they led her to a squad car and sat her in the back seat.

"You're safe now, Miss Hawthorne," the officer in the front of the car said.

She didn't respond, remaining still as the car pulled away. Her fingers laced into her hair while she squeezed her eyes shut. _You knew this was bound to happen. It was too good to be true._ Her chest ached and she pulled at the roots of her hair, more tears spilling down her face. The rest of the torturous ride went by with Nora in a daze, her mind foggy with emotion. She was unable to think. Then the car stopped and her door opened.

Before she could lift her head from her hands, a tight grip on her arm pulled her roughly out of the back seat and onto the pavement. Then a blow to her stomach left her gasping for air on the ground. A large hand pulled her up by her hair, causing her to choke on her saliva as she attempted to scream. A dark bag was then trust over her head and her arms bound by rope behind her back.

"Move," a deep voice said, jabbing the barrel of a gun into the small of her back.

She instinctually took a step forward as another hand pulled her by the collar of her scrubs through a doorway, making her trip and fall hard onto her knees. She whimpered before being dragged along the floor and crudely thrown into a chair where her ankles were tied to the legs. The bag was suddenly lifted from her head, pulling on her hair and sending a searing pain through her already sore scalp. Nora yelped and opened her eyes.

"Hello again, doc," said Maroni, sitting in a chair in front of her.

She glowered at him, her upper lip twitching like she smelled something rancid. They were in a small, dank room with a fluorescent light flickering slightly above them. Sal wore a perfectly pressed grey suit and yellow tie without a speck of filth on him, contrasting with their surroundings.

"Well here we are again. But now it looks like you need to be taught a lesson in who's boss. Am I right?" he said.

Nora said nothing, keeping her gazed fixed on his cold, lifeless eyes. He leaned forward so that his face was inches from hers. She tilted her head back and turned her chin up at him. He quickly grabbed it and yanked it down to face him.

"What's the matta, girly? You 'aint got the hots for me yet? I thought you were into bad boys," he mocked.

Nora struggled against her restraints and shouted, "You son of a bitch!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, his hand came up and slapped her fiercely across the face. "Have a temper now, do we?" he said.

She hung her head with her chin to her chest as Maroni stood from his chair and crossed the room to the door where two of his men stood.

"I'll leave you think about that attitude of yours," he said before closing the door.

The lock clicked and the lights shut off, leaving Nora in the dark, fighting the bile rising in her throat.

Song for this chapter: Wildfire by SBTRKT

**A twist! Let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17: Emotions

**Hello, everyone!**

**It's been a rough week for me but I'm really excited about this chapter! I hope you like it!**

**Chapter Seventeen: Emotions**

Joker pounded his fist again and again onto the dry wall in the warehouse, his face twisted into a scowl as he gritted his teeth. Each punch drove his knuckles harder against the material until splotches of bright red were left behind and it gave way beneath his fist. He pulled his bloodied hand out of the new hole in the wall before growling loudly and pulling his Glock from his waist, walking stiffly toward the shooting range. The door slammed shut and the sound of his gun firing at the wall echoed through the warehouse until the chamber was empty and a heavy silence hung in the air.

Nick helped support Q with the hospital sheet wrapped around his waist below his fresh abdominal incision as they cautiously walked inside. The tense stillness in the warehouse was broken when Enigma came rushing in through the back entrance. He stopped when he saw Q standing there, then a wide grin stretched on his face as he swiftly approached him and wrapped Q in a tight bear hug. He huffed under Enigma's bulk and lightly patted his back.

"Ow," he wheezed.

Enigma released him and said, "Ah shit, sorry man. It's just good to have ya back in once piece." He looked him up and down as he chuckled, "Uh, what're you wearing?"

Q looked down at his improvised attire and answered, "That's, um, a funny story."

"Where's boss and the doc?" Enigma asked, looking around the room. Q's face suddenly fell, followed by Enigma's. "What happened?"

"Cops took Nora," said Nick.

Enigma furrowed his brow and replied, "What?"

"There was a road block after we left the hospital. Look man, keep your fuckin' voice down, boss is in there," Nick answered hastily, pointing toward the shooting range.

Joker sat slouching on the floor with his legs sprawled out in front of him, staring at the wall. Next to the paper target he had just filled with holes was one with a single mark that Nora had made with her first shot.

Nora focused on taking controlled breaths but was unable to steady them as she trembled in the chair she was bound to. Her trembling soon gave way to silent sobs, tears dripping onto her lap. She still felt the sting from Maroni's slap on her face. He must still have cops on his payroll. She felt foolish, falling for his trap. But she couldn't give in. She sat there and convinced herself that surrender wasn't an option. She thought about everything she'd been through over the past few weeks. She thought about Joker. Her heart fluttered in her chest and goosebumps rose up on her skin as images of his dark eyes gazing at her, his eager hands reaching out to touch her, and his scarred lips coming closer to meet hers ran through her mind. His touch was like a drug. It drew her in, sending her head into the clouds while keeping her feet on the ground. She found comfort in his arms. The closer she got to him, the closer she wanted to be. She had feelings for Gotham's most wanted man and she didn't even know his real name. But she didn't care. To her it didn't matter what his name was, where he came from, or what had happened to him to make him the way he is. Whether she ever did or didn't find out, it wouldn't change how she felt. He was who he was and she loved him. It was twisted and wrong but she loved him. She had to get out of there.

Her eyes snapped open and Nora took a few deep breaths, her new determination breaking through her fear and giving her the ability to focus. She lifted her head from her chest and looked around the room as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. There was a single narrow window at the top of the ceiling where a sliver of light from the streetlamps outside came through. She must be in a basement. The walls were cement blocks and the floor concrete with pipes running along the ceiling. As she looked around she also noticed a tiny red light blinking at her from the corner of the ceiling. A camera.

If she was being watched, she had to be careful. Wait. Wait for the right opportunity. As her senses were coming back to her and she regained control of herself, she felt something pressing against her lower belly. They never searched her for weapons. The small gun she carried into the hospital was still tucked into her pants.

The longest night of Nora's life crawled by as she carefully pulled and tugged at the rope tying her wrists together behind her back. Her shoulders ached and her skin burned beneath the ropes but she kept trying late into the night. It was eerily quiet except for the scurry of rats in the dark. As dawn approached, Nora's struggle against the rope turned into mere twitches of her wrists while she drifted in and out of consciousness before finally falling asleep.

"Up and at 'em, girly!" a voice echoed in her pounding head.

Nora startled awake with a gasp to see the lights on and a large man in a leather jacket with a shaved head knelt in front of her, his hands on his knees. The light in her eyes felt like daggers as she groaned and dropped her head.

"Boss wants ya cleaned up. If ya cooperate, it'll go a lot smoother," the man said.

The aching of her head was agonizing. She didn't respond and only winced at his words. Then he suddenly grabbed a fist full of Nora's hair and yanked her head up.

He grumbled as she yelped, "Listen bitch, I don't have much patience and you're on thin ice."

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"You make one move I don't like and its light out. Got it?" he grunted as he proceeded to untie her ankles from the chair.

Her scalp felt like it was on fire, the burning intensifying the pain in her head. But behind the pain, her mind pushed for her to fight. _Kick him._

The moment he finished untying her, she took a deep breath and swung her leg up toward his groin. She managed to catch him with her foot, sending him to his knees. He howled with pain and Nora stood to sprint toward the open door. But her legs, stiff from being bent on the chair all night, gave out underneath her and she fell to the ground. Unable to catch herself with her hands, she landed on her chest with a grunt as her face hit the concrete and split her lip. The hulking man grabbed at her ankles while she squirmed desperately to get away.

"Fucking cunt!" he screamed, seizing her ankle and pulling her toward him. Then he flipped her over to face him, blood tricking down her chin. "That 'aint cooperatin'!"

His fist made contact with the side of Nora's head and her vision went black.

Joker sat at his desk, the pair of scrubs he had been wearing exchanged for his own shirt and waistcoat, holding his painted forehead in his hands and bouncing his leg as the first rays of daylight broke through the blinds. Why was he like this? Reduced to a dysfunctional mess, unable to think, unable to move, just staring at the empty space in front of him all night. He'd been curious about her. Curious about the allure she gave off behind her eyes, beckoning him nearer. Curiosity turned into lust and lust turned into a confusing puddle of emotions that he would have been happy to drown in. Then she was gone. Here one second, gone the next. She took a piece of his mind with her, leaving it dark and unfeeling as it was before, frantic for her return. It was torturous. It was frustrating. Almost infuriating. She'd awoken something within him. An ability to feel something other than the dull buzzing of his racing thoughts. To be swallowed up in the warmth of her skin, his touch sparking a fire that burned just for him. He wanted her back.

He abruptly stood from his chair and crossed the room to fling the door open. Nick, Q, and Enigma sat at a table down below, turning their heads toward the sound. Joker hastened down the stairs to pull out a chair and quickly sit, slamming his hands down flat on the table. He shifted his gaze around the table at each of them. They had strange looks on their faces.

"Wha-t?" Joker growled slowly.

Nick swallowed and looked down at the table where a videotape with a bow tied around it sat. Joker's jaw clenched as he stared at it. Then he suddenly stood, his chair scraping loudly on the floor, and grabbed the tape to quickly take it to the corner where some old recording equipment and a small television were set up. He turned it on and shoved the tape in, his tongue nervously flicking over his lip while he kept his eyes fixed on the screen. The three men approached from behind him as an image appeared.

It was Nora. Tied to a chair in a dark room, the night vision camera looking down at her. She was still at first, her head hanging with her chin against her chest, then subtle movements of her struggling against her restraints were visible. Her head would lull to the side as she alternated between pulling at her wrists and dropping her head, remaining still for a short time before rousing and struggling again with a pained expression on her face.

Jokers chest heavily rose and fell faster and faster as his body trembled and his face twitched, a positively deadly look in his eyes still focused on the image. Then the screen went dark. He promptly reached for his gun and sent several rounds sparking through the television before rigidly walking away with the weapon still in his hand, unphased by the ringing in his ears. He approached the door and reached out for the handle when Nick caught up with him.

"Wait, wait, wait! You need a plan, boss!" Nick urged him.

Joker turned to him with a piercing stare and grumbled through gnashed teeth, "No. I don't need a plaaan."

"How 'bout some back up then?" Nick replied.

Joker released the tension on his jaw and licked at the inside of his scars as his eyes wandered the space around Nick. Then he nodded as he said, "Round 'em up."

When Nora opened her eyes, she felt a pain racking her skull like she'd never experienced before. An involuntary groan passed through her lips. The sound of a door opening startled her to attention, the surprised jolt of her body only making the pain worse. She squeezed her eyes shut as heavy footsteps got closer.

"Wake up, lady. You gotta get ready," an unfamiliar voice said.

She squinted through her eyelids at a lean man with long hair looking down at her. Then she realized that she didn't feel a pull at her shoulders and could move her legs. She was lying on the floor unrestrained. Nora tried to push herself up and make a break for a door, any door. But her arms wouldn't comply, leaving her flat on her belly and her head pulsing. She didn't feel the metal of the gun barrel against her skin. It was gone.

The skinny man chuckled and said, "Nice try, girly. Get in there an' clean yourself up."

He grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her up to see a drab bathroom that looked like it hadn't been used in ages. She was released from his grip to her hands and knees where she paused to breathe through a wave of nausea that came over her.

"We don't got all day," he said, nudging her side with his shoe.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped.

His fingers dug into her arm as he roughly pulled her to her feet. He leaned in and said, "I'll touch ya whenever I want," his reeking breath wafting over her face.

Then he let go and Nora's legs shook like she hadn't stood up in days. She almost reflexively reached out to steady herself on his shoulder before managing to step forward into the bathroom, her aching muscles tensing to keep her upright. Had it only been one night?

"There's a dress in there. Put it on. Wash the blood off yer face. You got ten minutes."

The door slammed and locked behind her as Nora looked up to see her reflection in the dirty mirror. She looked like hell. Her hair was tangled, her eyes were puffy with dark circles beneath them, and her bottom lip was split in the middle, leaving a small trail of dried blood down her chin. A large bruise was starting to bloom on her temple. She looked down at her wrists, splotched red with rope burn. The sight of herself in such a state made her want to cry. But she'd already shed enough tears. She had to focus on her survival, figure out how she could escape. She was locked in the bathroom but maybe there was something she could use as a weapon. She looked around the small room for anything remotely sharp. There was nothing on top of the pedestal sink except a bar of soap. The cabinet was bare and there wasn't even a towel rack. Nothing. Then she noticed, hanging from an exposed pipe behind her, a short copper colored dress covered in gawdy sequins. _What the fuck?_

Nora jumped when there was a sudden brash knock on the door. "Five more minutes and I'm comin' in!" a muffled voice called.

Was this some kind of joke? Did he really expect her to put that on? She frowned at the dress. _No. No, I'm not doing that._ She took her opportunity to use the toilet and clean up her face. The pounding in her head started to fade after she drank the thankfully clear water from the sink with her cupped hands, bringing cool relief to her parched throat. The lock on the door clicked before it swung open. The thin man was standing there accompanied by the bald one she'd kicked in the crotch.

"You 'aint dressed," the bald one said.

Nora kept a hardened expression on her face as she slowly shook her head, "I'm not wearing that."

He scoffed and replied, "Like hell you're not! You believe this bitch, Ace?" turning to his companion.

"I don't, Vinny! You think she'd know better!" the skinny man answered with a smirk.

Vinny chuckled and pulled something from his pocket. "Well maybe she should learn then," he said menacingly, extending a flickering stun gun toward her. It hummed threateningly as an arch of electricity crossed it's prongs. "Can't leave any more marks on that pretty little body."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, staring at the weapon with wide eyes. Her fatigued mind couldn't come up with anything to do. She just stood there. Then suddenly she felt a sensation like bees were crawling under her skin, mercilessly stinging her. The pain was excruciating. Her body seized up and she couldn't move. Then it was gone as fast as it had come and she was back on the floor, lying on her side, panting.

"Get dressed," said Ace.

The door slammed shut once again, leaving Nora alone, catching her breath as she recovered from the voltage that was just sent coursing through her body. She had to pick her battles. It was clear that Maroni was trying to humiliate her and she certainly wanted to keep her dignity but she also wanted to get out of there alive. If she played his game, maybe she'd be more likely to find her opportunity for escape. She had to try. At least they were letting her change in private.

Nora pushed herself up from the floor with trembling arms and carefully stood up. She took a deep breath before pulling her scrub top over her sore torso and sliding down her drawstring pants after kicking off her tennis shoes. The dress had so much sparkly decoration on it that it was kind of heavy. She lifted it over her arms and let it drop onto her body. It was fairly form-fitting and sleeveless with a deep v neckline, the hem hitting just above her knees. It was gaudy, flashy, ostentatious and entirely out of character for her. It flattered her figure but she hated it. She felt like a mannequin. Squeezed into a little dress to be stared at by passersby. _Fucking ridiculous. _She sighed deeply before slowly turning the door handle.

The two henchmen were waiting just outside the door and whistled belittlingly at her as she kept her eyes down toward the floor, idly curling her injured lip into her mouth. Her tongue was met with the taste of her own blood while she made an effort to steel her resolve. _Focus. Don't listen to them._

"Boss made a nice choice, didn'e?" said Ace.

Vinny chuckled and said, "Sure did. C'mon girly, boss is waitin'."

_Stop calling me that._ Nora crossed her arms over her chest and followed the men on her bare feet down a musty hallway, her eyes on the stun gun in Vinny's hand. They went up a flight of stairs that led to an industrial style kitchen. Cooks dressed in white uniforms were busy chopping vegetables and stirring steaming pots on the pristine chrome surfaces of the kitchen, a stark deviation from the seedy basement were Nora had been kept. A few of the staff stopped what they were doing to smirk at them as they passed by, while others had a sympathetic look in their eyes. Like they felt sorry for her. But she knew better than to hope that they would do anything about it. Past the kitchen was an open dining room with delicate chandeliers suspended from the ceiling and deep maroon table cloths. The place stank of dirty money. Up another, more illustrious, flight of stairs they reached a doorway flanked by two bulky men in dark blazers who nodded at her chaperones before letting them pass through the velvet roped entrance.

It was some kind of club. A stage was at the far end surrounded by a dance floor with huge speakers and spotlights pointed out toward the large room. Sleek black tables were dotted along the side walls and a small set of stairs led to a raised level lined with private booths bordered by curtains and a lavish bar on the wall opposite the stage. Neon lights outlined the railings and ceiling, washing the place in a red hue. Staff were busy putting candles on tables and filling ice buckets containing bottles of expensive champagne. Distracted by the unexpected site, Nora ran head first into Vinny's back when he came to a stop at another door. Her hand came up to rub her nose and she locked eyes with him when he shot an irritated look behind him before opening the door.

Sal Maroni was seated at a table in the VIP lounge, wearing another grey suit with a silver tie and putting forkfuls of veal between his teeth. He looked in their direction as the three of them entered the room, a frown forming on his face.

"The fuck is this? What'd ya do to 'er face?" he spat through the food in this mouth.

"She did that 'erself, boss! She 'aint exactly cooperatin'!" Vinny whined.

Maroni put his fork down as he swallowed and fixed his eyes on Nora. "That true, doc? You not bein' a gracious guest for my men here?" he said.

Nora hardened her expression, narrowing her eyes at him, as she remained silent with her arms crossed. She didn't think any answer that was likely to come out of her mouth would lead anywhere good so it was best to stay silent.

"See?" exclaimed Vinny. "Bitch gettin' on my nerves."

Their eyes remained locked in a noxious stare. Maroni stood from his booth and walked toward her slowly. He stopped just inches in front of her, his height just a bit taller than her so that her eyes shifted upward to remain focused on his. He smelled like garlic.

"You're gonna accompany me to my little party tonight. It's my birthday and I always get what I want, darlin'. Don't make me do it the hard way," he said quietly.

She wrinkled her nose at the idea of being Maroni's trophy for the night. Then she felt the barrel of a gun pressed hard against her belly. It was her gun. Her breath hitched and she stiffened as she looked back up at him before slowly nodding her head. He nodded back, lowering the gun.

Then he shooed them away and said, "Go do somethin' about 'er face."

The warehouse was alive with activity. Men in clown masks were busy preparing ammo, loading weapons, and concealing knives on themselves. Enigma had a rifle slung over his shoulder, directing a semi-truck as it was backed up to the loading dock. A circus scene was depicted on the side with the words "laughter is the best medicine" and large, red "S" spray painted in front of the phrase.

Joker sat on a pile of empty palettes, twirling the tip of his knife against his finger as he stared straight ahead. His mind was elsewhere. Images from the videotape wouldn't leave his head. He kept seeing Nora struggling in that chair with her hands bound behind her back. He knew all too well what could have happened to her since then. It'd been a long time since he'd cared for anyone's wellbeing and Nora fit into that empty space in his heart like a key in a lock. Maroni was trying to make a fool out of him. No one makes a fool out of him. And this was no ordinary threat. Sal thought he'd found the Joker's weakness but ohhh, was he wrong. Instead he'd created a beast that knew no end to the violence it could cause in the pursuit of what fed it. The corner of Joker's mouth twitched as he thought of what he'd do to Maroni.

"The kid's back," Enigma's voice said, breaking through Joker's musings.

He forcefully stabbed the blade of the knife he'd been holding into the palette where he sat, leaving it upright in the wood before hopping to the ground and taking long strides into the warehouse. Override and Nick approached him and they met in the middle, amongst the bustle of preparations. Joker remained silent, shifting his eyes to Override and licking at his scarred lip. Override took a deep breath and stared back with anxious eyes.

"They got her at Maroni's club, downtown. She's alive," said Nick.

Override was the son of Toni Zucco, one of the crime family network underbosses. After learning his father was involved with an underground sex trafficking operation, he quietly joined Joker's crew on the side. He hoped they could help him shut it down. For now, he served as an informant with his close connections to Gotham's mob big-wigs and as a self-taught expert hacker. So far, he'd proven himself indispensable.

Joker resisted grinding his teeth while he nodded slowly and plainly said, "We're takin' the truck" before swiftly turning away and going up to his office.

The sound of bumping music was coming through the walls where Nora stood, staring at herself in a mirror. It was funny, what a contrast it was to the last mirror she'd gazed into. In the same building on the same day, no less. This time she was surrounded by tacky luxuries in the bright, modern changing room of the VIP lounge. She barely recognized herself. She'd been forced to cooperate for some woman to put makeup on her, to make her more presentable. Her puffy eyes and bruises covered up by foundation and eyeshadow, her dirty scrubs replaced with the flashy dress and black heels he made her wear. He even changed her hair. It was pulled into a tight knot on the back of her head that tugged on her sore scalp. She felt like a Stepford Wife.

The door opened and Vinny came in, stopping in his tracks when he saw her. "Well, well, well. Now ya look the part. Maybe when boss is done, I can have ya," he said, walking toward her.

Nora's stomach dropped and she stiffened up as he got closer. She kept her eyes forward while he sniffed her like a hungry animal. Her heart raced and her legs twitched, urging her to run. But she didn't. Instead she balled her fists until her nails dug into her palms.

Suddenly, he pulled back and said, "A'right, guess I'm gonna have to wait my turn. But then its no rules, girl." He leaned in once more and grumbled, "I'll be sure to pay ya back for that kick in tha balls ya gave me," before grabbing her arm and leading her out the door into the club.

The room was practically shaking with the electronic music emitting from the booming speakers and spot lights twirled around the otherwise dark room, making Nora squint from the assault on her senses. The previously empty dance floor was now packed with people, rhythmically gyrating against each other, while barely dressed waitresses carried around platters of the alcoholic elixirs fueling their uninhibition. At a booth past the busy bar, Maroni was seated with several other sharply dressed men, glasses of whisky in front of each of them and cigars in their hands.

Maroni flashed a grin and stood as he said, "Ahh! There's the lovely lady! Lookin' fabulous, darlin'!" gesturing toward Nora. Vinny shoved her toward Maroni's extended arm for him to wrap it around her shoulders. She tried not to visibly cringe as the strong smell of cologne burned her nose.

"Gentlemen, this is the doctor I was tellin' you about. Very talented," he told the men at the table who all chuckled in response. _Excuse me? _

Then he sat down and patted his thigh, turned toward her at the edge of the booth. She locked eyes with him and he smiled wickedly at her, patting his thigh once more. Her heart pounded in her chest while she bent to perch on his leg, keeping her eyes on the floor. When she felt his hand on her waist, she twitched and tensed her abdomen. Nora thought she could handle this but it was already almost too much.

She decided to try to send her mind somewhere else. Don't think about where she was, but where she wanted to be. Back at the warehouse, she's on the roof with J, he's spinning her around to a silent tune underneath the stars, his lips are soft and warm against hers, the familiar taste of mint and greasepaint on her tongue, she's safe. Suddenly, Nora's daydream was interrupted by Maroni.

"Isn't that right, doc?" he asked.

"Hm?" she hummed, blinking her eyes and bringing herself back down to earth.

He rolled his eyes and said, "I said you're offerin' your services as an on-call doctor. Isn't that right?"

She furrowed her brow at him, which was met with a dark stare and a crushing squeeze of her hip. _Alright, I'll play your fucking game._

"Yeah that's right," she mumbled.

A waitress suddenly appeared next to her to pick up the empty glasses and replaced them with a new round of drinks. Nora watched her walk away, wishing she could do the same. Just walk away. Her eyes wandered while the men continued to chat. What could he do if she got up and walked away? There were so many people around. Would he hurt her in front of them? She shifted her weight to try to stand but was stopped by Maroni wrapping his arm around her waist. She huffed and turned her head toward his ear.

"I have to use the bathroom," she said.

"More than five minutes and I hand you over to Vinny. He's not nearly as gentle as I am. Got it?" he threatened below the volume of the music with a deceiving smile on his face. She stared back at him and nodded.

As soon as he released her, Nora quickly made her way toward the ladies room. But she stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder before heading down the dark hallway instead.

Song for this chapter: Bulletproof by La Roux

**Get ready for all hell to break loose once again!**

**Thank you all again for reading! You really don't know how much it means to me  
Comments welcome and appreciated as always! Let me know what you think and I look forward to hearing from you**

**Side note: I'm thinking about writing some oneshots or short stories on the side at some point and I'm open to suggestions! Could be related to this story or completely different! I'm open to either, let me know if you have any ideas**


	18. Chapter 18: Crashing The Party

**Hello! I'm alive!  
Work has been super busy (what else is new) so this chapter took me a bit longer than usual.**

**Get ready for some violence and some fluffy, fluffy fluff!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Crashing The Party**

The booming music still reverberated in her ears as Nora continued down the empty hallway, trying to appear casual. She was looking for a place to hide, escape if she could. She didn't have a plan and was in no position to have one for that matter, so she had to improvise. Whatever she had to do to get out, figure out where she was, and get back to J. At the end of the hall, a set of doors looked promising. She tugged on the handles. Locked. She turned around to face the hall, gazing back toward the torrent of gleaming neon lights. The erratic lighting inside the club helped conceal her as she searched for an escape route but it also made her search that much more difficult. Her heart sped up as she thought about how much time had passed since she managed to wiggle free from Maroni's grasp. She didn't have long before they'd come looking for her. The option to hide was rapidly becoming her only option as the seconds relentlessly ticked by. The bathroom wasn't a good idea, that was likely the first place they'd look. She reached to the back of her head and pulled out the torturous elastic from her hair. Maybe having it down would give her another precious few seconds before being recognized. After blowing her breath out from her lips, she walked back into the raucous party.

Beams of pink and green light flashed over her face while Nora's eyes scanned the room for any of Maroni's men she might recognize. The sea of inebriated faces paid no mind to her presence as they continued indulging themselves in a night of shameless decadence. Then a man wearing a blazer standing against the wall caught Nora's eye. He wasn't the only one. Several of them were positioned to look out over the dance floor. Security guards. Knowing that they work for Maroni, it was unlikely that they'd help her, if anything they'd drag her back to him. Her gaze shifted to the front entrance, still manned by the two bouncers that had already seen what she looks like. There was nowhere else to go. The pit of her empty stomach twisted into queasy knots, hopelessness threatening to rear it's ugly head. Then a thought occurred to her. Why not hide in plain sight?

She grabbed a drink from a tray as it sailed by on it's way to a booth, holding it in her hand as a means of blending in. _When in Rome._ Then the DJ's music suddenly thumped at a faster pace, sending the crowd on the dance floor into a frenzy of bouncing bodies with arms in the air. It would be difficult to spot her in the middle of that. Part of her wanted to down the drink in her hand first but she knew it was best to stay sober and set it down on a nearby table before stepping forward toward the vivacious mob of people.

She took a deep breath and pushed her way into the crowd, tucking her arms into her chest to get through the flux of sweaty dancers. She made her way toward the center, sporadically jostled around by the movements of the pulsing crowd as she did her best to subtly look around the room for any sign of danger beyond the blinding beams of light. Her gaze caught sight of Maroni at his booth, looking very displeased as he spoke to Vinny, prodding him in the chest with his finger. Nora's breath hitched in her throat, panic starting to set in. She was trapped. But they hadn't seen her yet, she had to try to remain calm, remember to hide in plain sight. She started rocking her body rhythmically with the beat, swaying her hips and shoulders. Faster and faster she turned and bobbed, putting her hands in the air, until her movements melded with the people around her, making her all but invisible. The bass from the music pounded in her chest as she danced, encouraged to keep going by the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She kept her eyes trained on the room around the dance floor while she breathed heavily. Vinny had gathered a group of men that were now splitting up to rush in different directions, presumably to search for her. She quickly turned around to face the stage in an effort to hide her face from her pursuers, a shiver of anxiety crawled up her back once they were no longer in her view.

Nora continued to dance, her exhilarated movements contrasting with her internal turmoil. _Just keep moving, don't stand out._ Her willpower was fueled by fear as she pushed through her instinct to run and kept her feet on the dance floor, moving with the beat. Time felt as though it was both painfully stopped and simultaneously spinning out of control at a dizzying rate. However long it'd been, she kept managing to relentlessly convince her body to keep dancing. Her heart continued to pound until it suddenly jumped into her throat when she locked eyes with Vinny at the edge of the crowd. A cruel smile formed on his face. _Run._

Just when she had resolved herself to run for her life, Nora heard a familiar voice.

In a matter of seconds, all of the activity in the room came to abrupt halt as the voice carried loudly over the speakers, "Goood ev-en-ing, ladies and gentle-menn. I hope you're having yourselves a just love-ly time-ah."

Joker suddenly emerged on the stage, dressed to the nines in his suit and purple coat, a cold expression on his face that juxtaposed his jovial tone. "I heard that our dear friend Maro-ni was squeeze-d from his mother on this day some years ago and I wasn't deserving of an invitation! Can you believe that?"

A group of five of his men, donned in their clown masks, approached from behind him, each with a knife at the throat of one of Maroni's goons with Ace amongst them as they forced them onto their knees on the floor of the stage. "Well, I decided to forgive this little over-sigh-t and bring the birthday boy his present after all," Joker growled.

The music continued to boom as five blades simultaneously cut the throats of Maroni's men, spilling a horrendous volume of their blood over the stage. Their bodies dropped as a chorus of screams erupted from the crowd.

"Now, is there a doctor in the house?" he bellowed over the microphone as more of his men came swarming into the club, aiming their weapons at the first of Maroni's goons they saw.

Nora stood with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly ajar. She blinked, thinking what had appeared in front of her eyes would be gone once she did so. But he was still there. Her chest flushed warm and her mouth curved into a smile as Joker's laugh cackled over the music before people shoved each other in a mad dash for the exit and the firing of guns rang out from both sides of the room. At the back of the club, Maroni was hurriedly whisked away by a few of his other men who held their weapons out to shield their boss from the barrage of bullets until he was out of sight. Nora instinctively ducked, dropping herself to the floor where she was nearly trampled by the stampede of people before crawling to press herself up against the wall. She whipped her head back toward the stage where she could see Joker ducked behind the DJ's booth, peering around the corner for his gaze to anxiously scan the room.

Hiding was far from the front of Nora's mind by then as she kept her eyes on him and made a panicked scramble toward the stage, narrowly avoiding the path of bullets whizzing by. The roar of her blood rushing in her ears was deafening but was no match for the piercing ringing caused by a gun that went off right next to her. Then she felt an arm roughly pulling her back by her chest, knocking the wind out of her as the stage began to shrink in her view. Vinny pulled her into his torso as he backed up and held the barrel of his gun to her temple as she reflexively pulled at his arm.

"DON'T you move a muscle, girly," he barked in her ear. He kept her in his vice-like grip, pulling her out onto the empty dance floor. The assault of firing guns came to a stop upon their stepping foot in the middle of the floor and the once blaring speakers were suddenly silenced by a round of bullets fired through them, leaving the large room unnervingly quiet.

Joker lowered his aim from the smoking speakers and gradually approached the edge of the stage. His face reflected only an inkling of the seething hatred and rage that was sending his heart pounding with heat radiating from beneath his collar. There was another feeling too. One that he thought he'd forgotten how to feel, smothered by years of distrust and seclusion. Fear quivered its way down his back, the spark reignited by the sight of Nora with a gun to her head.

"Any of ya make a move and your little cunt here dies!" shouted Vinny, confident he had the upper hand.

Vinny continued to slowly back up as Nora trembled in his grasp with her jaw tightened, the hard gun barrel pressed firmly against the throbbing bruise hidden beneath makeup. She locked eyes with Joker, unable to hide the panic that burned in her chest as it showed plainly on her face. He gazed back at her, his expression was like stone but his eyes spoke volumes. _I'm going to get you out of this, just stay calm._

"My wha-t?" Joker growled with a smoldering gaze that clearly displayed his murderous intentions. His eyes had never been darker, fixated on the man that had his Nora in his filthy grasp. The man threatening her, the woman who'd reached into his chest and restarted his cold heart, warming his human side and bringing it back to life for her eyes only. An overwhelming need to protect her jolted his mind and made his blood boil as he snarled louder, "My what?"

Nora could feel Vinny's breath quicken as he huffed against her ear. He stood his ground in front of Joker but his shaking beneath her told her that his bravery was wavering fast. He didn't answer, he just stood there, frozen in place before the terrifying man with a red Glasgow smile in front of him, tightening his hold on Nora.

"ANSWER ME!" Joker's voice boomed.

His fists clenched and his hair flew wildly with the volume of the demand rumbling from his chest. A colossal shiver ran through Vinny's body, giving Nora a chance to elbow him, hard, in the gut. He huffed as he suddenly dropped the gun from Nora's head and released her. All color drained from his face and he turned to run after Joker's hand dove into the pocket of his coat to pull out a long knife as he bared his teeth and came storming toward the petrified man. He raised the knife high by the blade and launched it at Vinny's back where it struck him between the shoulders, sending him to the floor with a resounding thud and a shriek of pain. Vinny's cries as he desperately struggled to crawl away brought him no mercy from Joker who swiftly overtook him and crouched to grasp the knife handle jutting from his flesh, forcefully twisting it deeper. A blood-curdling scream echoed off of the walls as Joker growled and gripped the back of Vinny's head to pull it up from the floor.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Joker grumbled darkly at his ear. "What was it you called her?" Vinny only continued to holler obscenities, leaving the question unanswered.

"What did you call her?" Joker shouted, wrenching the knife harder, causing the deafening howls from Vinny's mouth to grow louder. "SAY IT!"

Through his gasps and sobs, Vinny cried, "Your little cunt!"

"That's what I though-t," said Joker, before tearing the knife from Vinny's back and promptly bringing it to his throat, slicing through the vital tissue with a single motion and silencing his screams. Then he stood and dropped his blood soaked knife next to the lifeless body, a pool of warm red rising from beneath it.

Nora sat on her heels where she'd sank to the floor, her eyes wide from the violence she'd just witnessed. Violence on her behalf. Brutal justice for the cruelty she'd been through. For her. She couldn't help but feel vindicated, proud even, for herself being the reason for such an action. That horrid man's life taken so viciously for hers.

Joker pulled off his bloody gloves and tossed them aside as he rushed to Nora to drop to his knees in front of her. He reached out and gently took her face in his hands, inspecting it with severe eyes, his brow furrowed with worry. She stared back as she brought her hands up to lightly grip his wrists, an overwhelming warmth growing in her chest. Some nameless emotion flashed across his face before he swiftly leaned in and captured her lips with his. Their eyes closed and they savored each other, holding on tightly to the reconnection that was feared to never happen as his fingers laced into her hair and her hands found his face. Her fingers wandered over him, grasping at his physical form to reassure herself that he was actually there. The taste of greasepaint and the smell of smoke and gunpowder said that he was. The force of the kiss and the flood of passion took their breath away, leaving them panting once their mouths parted and they held each other. Nora pulled back for a moment to look Joker in the eyes, his fear of losing her staring back at her. Her pulse hammered harder and her head suddenly became airy and light before she tipped forward, her cheek landing against his chest.

He grunted and hurriedly pulled her head up to make sure she was alright. Tears streamed down her face and silent sobs began to quake in her torso. He took a sharp breath in before pressing her forehead back to his chest and wordlessly wrapping his arms around her while Nora cried. They knelt together on the floor soaked in carnage, Nora's hot tears saturating the fabric of Joker's waistcoat while he gently propped her up against himself and slid his coat of his shoulders to then wrap it around hers. The purple fabric covered the wretched sequin dress, now stained with splotches of red, hiding it, replacing it with the warmth and solace that now surrounded her. This comfort came from a dark place, bloodshed for her bloodshed. But in that moment, she wouldn't have it any other way. In her mind, it was justice served and in a place like this, his revenge for her was sweet. She loved him for it.

Once her breathing steadied, Joker guided her arms into the sleeves of his coat and stood to then crouch down and pick her up. Not a word was exchanged between them as he lifted Nora, wrapped in his coat, with an arm under her legs and her back while she linked her arms around his neck and kicked off her shoes. He walked steadily as he carried her to the exit behind the stage, two of his men jogging ahead to walk in front of him with their guns drawn.

Nora leaned in to him and shamelessly nestled herself into his chest. The Joker, a mass murdering criminal clown, treated her with such uncharacteristic tenderness. It was only for her. His only vulnerability. This side of him, gentle, affectionate, came from deep within. Slowly, it'd been coaxed out by her compassion and willingness to see what was beneath his surface. It made him want to care for her, treat her well, touch her, make her feel good. Now he had her back and he wasn't willing to let her go.

The sound or sirens bounced off of the buildings surrounding Maroni's club as Nora's face, wet with tears, was met with the night's breeze. Joker took her to a black car in the alley while his men sprinted toward the erroneous semitruck parked in the street.

"Can you stand, doll?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded quickly and slid out of his arms, her bare feet making contact with the damp asphalt. He flung the passenger door open for her to lower herself inside as he hurried to the driver's side. Nora was in a daze, exhaustion crashing down on her now that she was safe, staring out of the windshield with her head back against the seat while the car pulled out of the alley.

Buildings passed by and street lamps cast yellow beams of light over her face as the car sped down the nearly deserted street. In the rearview mirror, a line of police cars, flashing red and blue, chased after the semitruck driven by Joker's men. The pursuit lured the officers further and further away from their car as Joker drove toward the Narrows. A relieving silence sent Nora sinking further in to her seat when her sore muscles relaxed, no fight left within them.

"J …" she practically whispered.

He kept his dark eyes on the road and reached out to take her hand. He squeezed it and pulled it to rest in his lap. His actions spoke louder than words.

"Thank you," she said softly in reply.

He gave her hand another squeeze and said, "Rest your eyes, doll."

That was all she needed to hear and, as if acting on their own, her eyelids shut and a deep sigh tugged her down into the depths of sleep.

Nora awoke moments later when she felt her body being lifted by a pair of strong arms. Her eyes snapped open then her body relaxed once again when his familiar voice gently shushed her. She was being lifted from the car outside the warehouse, his purple coat still draped over her, the long sleeves nearly covering her fingertips. He kicked the door open and carried her inside where Q stood from a table upon hearing their entrance, his face then promptly falling at the sight of the state Nora was in.

Joker said something inaudible to him before lowering her onto a couch to sit upright. Q hurried over with a glass of water and a warm rag. She blinked her heavy eyelids open to see J knelt in front of her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear before carefully wiping her face with the rag. With each swipe, the thick makeup and tracks of tears were erased, revealing the damage to her flesh beneath. She could practically hear his heat racing as his gaze was met with another scratch, her split lip, the bruise on her temple, the dark circles under her eyes. He picked up her hands and his eyes trailed down to the rope burn on her wrists, then further down on her ankles. He bit the inside of his cheek and stifled a strange sound before placing the glass of water in her hand.

She took a deep breath, fighting the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes, before taking a sip. The cold water on her parched throat made her choke, a sputtering cough forcing itself out soon after. She recovered quickly and downed the whole glass in a few gulps.

"Woah, doll! Slow down," said Joker, taking the glass from her hand.

Nora caught her breath and blurted, "Maroni got away." Her mind suddenly switched back into overdrive, survival mode not ready to release its hold on her.

Joker slowly nodded his head, "Don't worry about that."

She swallowed hard, her mouth already tacky. "I want to help kill him," she said plainly. Her heart was pounding once again as she thought about sitting on that man's repulsive lap, nausea twisting her stomach.

His expression turned grave as he looked her in the eyes. The intensity he saw said just how serious she was. He nodded again and said, "Say no more, doll."

She nodded back and took a breath, her last bit of energy burned out hot. Joker stood and put his hand out to Nora. She took it and carefully stood up, her legs wobbling a bit beneath her. He stepped in front of her and crouched down, offering her a ride on his back. A small smile tugged at her lips, then she climbed on. His coat hung down from her back as he hooked her legs under his arms. She made eye contact with Q who nodded to her as Joker headed toward the staircase.

The darkness of Joker's room was a welcome sight. Everything about it felt like home in that moment, her feet finally feeling grounded. In the soft glow of the desk lamp, he slid his coat off of her shoulders for the heavy garment to fall to the floor. He frowned at the gaudy dress Nora was wearing.

"I know," she said quietly. "They made me wear it."

What looked like disgust flashed over his face before bending to place his fingers at the hem and starting to lift it. He looked up at her first, asking her with his eyes if it was ok. Her eyes sparkled back at him and she slowly nodded. He tugged up on the rough fabric, gently taking the dress with him as he stood until it was lifted from Nora's shoulders. What a relief it was. The air on her skin brought a wave of goosebumps and a comfortable shiver as she sighed.

Joker tossed the dress to the side and said in a gravelly voice, "We'll burn it later."

Nora chuckled and a genuine smile came over her face, sending Joker's heart soaring. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around him and placed her head against his chest. He blinked and brought his arms up to link them over her back. Then she felt his chin rest on the top of her head while they stood in their embrace. Everything she'd been through almost disappeared, smothered by his body that enveloped her, his powerful gaze that shrank it all away.

Joker lifted his chin and placed a finger under hers to nudge it up, bringing her face up toward his. His warm lips were soft against her own as he kissed her, sending Nora drifting through the air. She only came back down when he freed her mouth from his and lifted her to sit on the desk.

"Wait here," he said quietly.

She smiled softly as she supported herself on the desk. He disappeared into the bathroom and soon she heard water running. He emerged once a cloud of steam gathered in the small room, tendrils of it following him through the door. Nora's face flushed when she saw that he was completely naked. He took her hand and helped her up, walking her to the bathroom where an inviting bath waited for her. Joker held her steady while she peeled off her underwear and lowered her aching body into the hot water. A contented sigh escaped her chest after inhaling the calming steam, sinking further into the swirls of soap bubbles. The cuts on her wrists and ankles stung under the water, but the pain barely registered over the relaxing feeling taking her over.

Joker silently climbed in behind her to sit with her between his outstretched legs. He'd barely situated himself when Nora leaned back to rest her against him. His fingers ran through her hair, carefully wetting it and massaging her scalp with soap suds. Her eyes shut and in no time, Nora was fast asleep with Joker holding her in the bath, washing away her pain.

Nora felt the warmth of sunlight on her face as it shone behind her eyelids. The distant chirping of birds brought her fully out of her dreamless sleep and her eyes opened. The sun was shining through an open window where the thick blinds had been raised, a beam of the golden light warming her where she laid. She was sprawled out on her back, arms and legs resting in all directions. Slowly, she slid her arms up along the sheets and stretched. She looked down and saw she was wearing one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of shorts. A grin tugged at her lips when she remembered falling asleep in the bath, Joker must have dressed her and brought her to bed. _Joker._

She propped herself up on her elbows, her body feeling twice as heavy as it usually did, to look around the room. She was alone. Then she heard something. Music. She crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the door where she carefully turned the knob to crack it open.

The velvety sound of Frank Sinatra filled her ears. "I've got you under my skin. I'd tried so not to give in. I said to myself, this affair never will go so well. But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know damn well I've got you under my skin?"

Her heart fluttered and she pulled the door the rest of the way open, stepping out to walk slowly down the stairs. As she neared the bottom, Joker came into view, dressed in his usual shirt and waistcoat with his pinstriped pants, flinging knives at a few bullseyes spray painted on a large wooden board. He moved his feet with the music, twirling and making trick shots at the board with knives laid out on a table next to him.

Nora couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on her face while she watched him hum and dance as he tossed the knives. The glee that he emitted as he practiced his deadly skill was contagious. When he turned to pick up another knife from the table, his eyes caught sight of her. He stopped and grinned before sauntering over to her, taking her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. She giggled while he rocked the two of them back and forth, bouncing his shoulders and occasionally whirling her around. Then his movements slowed with the music and as the song ended, he dipped her low toward the floor.

"Hello, doll," he purred in a deep voice after planting a kiss on her lips with a loud smack.

"Hello, J," she laughed.

He stood her up and let go to amble toward the small kitchen, beckoning her to follow him, the music from the record player still echoing off of the walls. "Fly me to the moon. Let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like. On a, Jupiter and Mars."

His movements swayed with the tune as he prepared her a plate of food, anything he could find that would be easy on her stomach. Nora sat down in the stool at the counter and he to pushed the plate toward her with a glass of orange juice. She accepted it with the smile that hadn't wavered since it appeared. It had been almost two days since she'd eaten and her stomach felt like it had shrank to the size of a quarter. It grumbled inside her as she picked up the peanut butter sandwich he'd given her. The simple bit of food tasted better than she ever would have expected and she closed her eyes as she chewed, Joker watching attentively. She managed to swallow half of the sticky sandwich and down the glass of juice before her belly could take no more.

She looked to Joker and said sweetly, "Thank you, J."

"How are you feeling, doll face?" he asked.

She smirked and said, "I've never been so tired in my life."

He chuckled and replied, "You should rest," moving the plate to sit on the counter in front of her. "Plenty of time to, uh, burn this town to the ground later."

She laughed before he lifted her chin to lean in for a kiss, her eyes drifting closed as she savored it. After their lips parted, he kept his hand at the back of her head, pressing her forehead to his.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, doll," he said quietly, his eyes toward the floor.

She shook her head gently against his, "No, it's not your fault."

"Mmm but it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gotten, uh, involved with me," he replied.

"Well, maybe that's true, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she said, putting her hand on top of his where it rested on the counter.

His eyes lifted to look into hers and he said, "Youuuu. What is it that you do to me?" his voice low, as if he didn't mean to say the words out loud.

Her smile returned even wider and her cheeks burned hot as her heart did somersaults before the side door suddenly slammed open. They both jerked their heads toward the sound to see Enigma burst through the doorway. He stopped when he saw Nora and came rushing toward her.

"Doc! Ah, its so good to see ya!" he exclaimed, squeezing her in a tight hug.

"Uh, good to see you too, E" she gasped through his embrace.

"Ahhh yes, sooo good to see you and your just perfect-ly timed interr-up-tion, Enigma," Joker sarcastically hollered.

He swiftly let go of Nora and looked at Joker. "Oh shit. Sorry, boss," he said, realizing what he'd walked in on.

An evil grin stretch over Joker's face and he hopped down from the counter.

"Nahh, no, don't do that. You know I hate that," Enigma said cautiously as he backed up from the counter. Then he broke into a full on sprint as Joker let out his most devilish laugh, chasing him across the room and sending Nora into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

"Fuck! That's so creepy when you do that! Find me when you're free, then!" Enigma called on his way into the room at the back of the warehouse.

Nora's giggles started to die down as Joker practically skipped back over to her, turning her chair and leaning in with his hands on her knees.

"Now, where were we?" he purred before capturing her lips once again.

Songs for this chapter: Lack Of A Better Name by Deadmau5 (Maroni's club) and I've Got You Under My Skin by Frank Sinatra

**Sorry I got all mushy there but I couldn't help it! I love me some soft and fluffy J!**

**Comments welcome and appreciated as usual!**


	19. Chapter 19: Beautiful

**Aaand we're back!**

**Sorry for the delay, I'm so happy to finally post chapter 19!**

****We're starting off NSFW, y'all!****

**Chapter Nineteen: Beautiful**

Afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the warehouse, matching the ethereal smile on Nora's face as she watched Joker demonstrate his knife throwing technique for her. It seemed like he really enjoyed teaching her new things. It made his eyes light up like a kid on Christmas.

"Now, the further away the target is, the more rotations you're gonna give it," he said, balancing the knife blade on his finger, before dropping it into his hand and flinging it straight at the board for it to stick in the center of the bullseye. "Or you can get fan-cy and try the no spin technique."

Her giggles filled the room while Joker stood with his arms wrapped around her from behind, adjusting her hold on the knife in her hand, his chin resting on her shoulder. He made sure to pay attention to each finger, tickling her so that she almost dropped it.

"Ok, ok," he said with a grin, stepping back to give her room. "Let 'er rip."

Nora took a step forward with her right foot before swinging her arm out and releasing the knife. It sailed through the air and landed with a clatter just in front of the board, leaving it without a scratch.

She snorted a laugh at her own misstep before turning to Joker with a smile, "I guess I'll need to practice."

He gazed back with eyes half lidded, taking in the glow she emitted. It reached across the room and struck him in the chest, taking his breath away and leaving a blooming warmth in its place. A sudden urge to reach out and take hold of her, never to let go, flooded his mind.

He slowly stepped toward her, Nora's stomach fluttering upon seeing the look in his eyes. He stopped in front of her, the tips of his shoes halting within an inch of her toes. His deep huffs washed over her as he lifted his hand to brush it against her cheek before lacing his fingers into her hair. Her eyes lifted to meet his fiery gaze when his fingers reached the back of her head and he pulled her in to feverishly lock his lips with hers, his scars pressing against her cheeks. Endorphins rushed through Nora's veins and her body tingled with excitement. Her hands found their way to his hair where she gripped the strands tightly in her fists, her heart racing as she deepened the kiss. He hummed against her lips and brought his other hand to cup her face.

The side door opened and two of Joker's men entered the warehouse, stopping in their tracks at the sight of Joker and Nora wrapped around each other in the center of the room. They hurriedly backed up through the door and locked it. The disturbance hadn't even registered in Joker or Nora's ears, their eyes remained closed tightly as they tasted each other with intensity, the world around them unknown without a care for anything other than the feeling of each other's kiss and sound of their breath.

Joker hoisted Nora up to wrap her legs around his waist and she held on to the back of his neck. He backed her up against a wall, sliding his arms down to support underneath her thighs as he pulled his lips away from hers to latch them onto her neck. A gasp escaped her throat as his hot tongue caressed her skin before taking the soft flesh between his teeth. Her core began to ache with anticipation before she panted and bucked her hips against his waist, making him growl into her neck.

He released his mouth and lifted his head to gaze into her eyes, both of their chests heaving with heavy breath. She recognized his wordless question and the corner of her mouth twitched upward as she nodded slowly. A smoldering grin flashed on his face before he swiftly captured her neck once again, moving his way down to her chest, tugging at the collar of her t-shirt with his teeth to reach more of her skin with his vigorous kisses as Nora whined softly.

His hips pushed her higher up against the wall to free his hands, allowing him to slide them beneath her shirt and up her sides before brushing his fingertips along her chest. A trail of goosebumps followed them as he savored how her smooth skin felt beneath his fingers. Her body trembled for more.

Nora raised her arms to pull her shirt over her head, the cool air raising even more goosebumps over her exposed chest. Joker groaned and nuzzled his face between her breasts before spreading open mouthed kisses over them while desperate moans slipped out of her mouth. Her noises grew louder when he rested his tongue on her nipple and slowly ran it along the sensitive bud, making Nora arch her back as she grabbed at the collar of his shirt. She could feel the bulge in his pants pressing up from underneath her thighs as she squeezed them around him.

"J… I need you… now," she huffed.

They panted against each other's open mouths as Joker's nose pressed next to hers while he shifted to hastily unzip his pants and Nora pulled her shorts down before lowering into his arms beneath her. He brought his lips back to hers just before entering her and grunted into her mouth as she moaned. That sinful friction in all of the right places sent her head spinning as Joker began to thrust into her, her nails digging into his back. He freed her mouth so he could hear the sweet sounds that tumbled out of it. His own groans increased with each push of his hips against hers and he leaned in, pressing his nose to her temple.

"Come for me, doll," he breathed into her ear.

A shiver shot down her spine and as if on command, Nora cried out, her core contracting and pulsing with euphoria. That was all it took for him to reach his own release, his jaw dropping to let out a deep groan with his eyes screwed shut as he spilled into her.

Joker was catching his breath, keeping Nora braced against the wall where she panted with her eyes closed as he gently held her face and placed a tender kiss on her smiling lips. He held on to her tight to let her untangle her legs from around his waist. They quivered when her feet reached the ground, all of the strength nearly drained from her muscles. They both chuckled when she stumbled and Joker caught her. He pulled up her shorts before zipping up his own pants and turning to offer her a ride on his back.

Her laugh carried with them as he jogged and bounced her on his back, the two of them giggling their way up the stairs to get cleaned up.

"So his name was Vinny, hm?" Joker asked, before lighting a cigarette and handing another one to Nora.

They were sitting at the table with Enigma, finding him there waiting once they finally emerged from upstairs, fully dressed. Nora pretended that she wasn't aware of how loud they'd been but she knew full well that they had to have been overheard. She didn't care. She was happy to be back with J and sex was very much a way to express that. But there was more to it than just sex. A heated passion. A feeling of love. One that she felt reciprocated in his touch. Besides, none of them would dare say anything about it.

"Yeah. He punched me at some point, it's kind of fuzzy, but I remember falling and splitting my lip when I tried to get away. I kicked him in the balls," Nora replied.

Joker felt a sting at the mention of her injuries but he couldn't help his chest shaking with a loud cackle at her boldness, a deep laugh from Enigma seated across from them nearly matching its volume. Nora's grin widened as she giggled along with them.

"Good on ya, doc. Nothin' wrong with a blow to the jewels when you's the one tied up," Enigma chuckled.

Nora's smile faded as she looked down at the table. Her rescue, only hours old by then, left a dark cloud, a reminder of what she endured, hanging over them still.

"How did you find me?" she asked, raising her gaze to meet Joker's.

He stared back, flicking his tongue over his lips held firm in a straight line while she waited. He didn't like thinking about it, what her absence did to him. It twisted his guts into knots. It made him feel weak. But weakness is subjective, isn't it? His feelings for her didn't have to be a weakness. Why deprive himself of that intimacy? She'd already coaxed it out of hiding to run free, to hold her, kiss her. For her, only for her. He thrived on doing the opposite of what was expected of him. The Joker can't love someone? Oh, but he can. With a ferocity that rushed through his veins. But that wasn't the only reason. He wanted to. She was his only constant, an anchor tethering him to this earth. When he touched her, nothing else mattered.

"He sent a tape. Then we found out where he was keeping you," Joker said simply.

She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat and keeping her eyes fixed on his dark ones as she answered quietly, "Thank you."

Joker nodded back and a silver lining around that dark cloud shined in his eyes. She smiled at it.

Then the side door opened before Q appeared, walking slowly toward them.

"Q!" Nora exclaimed, standing from her chair to meet him halfway from the door.

She put a hand on his shoulder and looked down toward his belly as she asked, "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

Q smiled softly and answered, "I'm ok, nah it doesn't hurt too bad anymore, just a bit sore."

Nora smiled back, knowing he was lying, and asked, "Can I see it?"

He lifted his shirt to show her a large incision in the shape of an L, stretching across one side of his abdomen then curving up toward his ribcage in the middle. The sutures dotted along its length looked good and the tissue healthy, though the skin was very bruised.

"It looks good!" she said. "I can take the stitches out for you when it's healed."

He nodded and they headed to the table where Q carefully sat down.

"So what's missing? How much of ya did they take?" Joker asked him.

Q winced when he chuckled and answered, "Just part of my liver I think."

"The part with a hole in it, I hope?" Joker quipped.

The group laughed together as Override approached quietly from the side. Enigma caught him in his peripheral vision and jumped in his chair.

"Jesus Christ! You know how fuckin' stealthy this kid is? Just shows up outta nowhere, givin' me the creeps, like some ginger ghost, man!" complained Enigma as Override froze with a pink hue coloring his cheeks.

Joker blinked and nodded his head toward the empty chair across from him, making eye contact with Override, who tensed up beneath his gaze before cautiously approaching them. He prodded the chair out with his shoe for the nervous young man to sit, taking a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself.

Joker's tongue shot out of his scars before he said, "Jus-t the man I wanna seee."

Override's eyes widened as he asked, "Me?"

A slow nod was his answer at first. Surely he must know what this was about.

"Adam Zucco, son of Toni Zucco, right hand man to mister Mar-oni. That's you," Joker said, pointing at him. "This fact as proven useful once and will indeed prove useful a-gain."

Nora's brow furrowed. This was the first she'd heard of this. But it made sense, he used Override to find her. Her mouth twitched into a little smile and her chest warmed when she thought about J's efforts to rescue her.

Joker continued, tilting his head, "You, my friend. Are gonna be my man on the insiii-de. No backstory required, you already have an in, just do a litt-le stirring of the po-t."

Override joined with Joker to get away from his family. But how could he refuse? Maybe he can accomplish both. "O-Ok. I think I can do that. Um, I have a favor to ask in return, though. Uh, boss," he said.

Joker's eyebrows shot up. "And what might that be?" he asked, keeping Override shifting uncomfortably in his gaze.

He cleared his throat before he said, "I need you to help me shut down my father's business."

"Ohhh that is de-light-ful," Joker growled, a grin stretching his scars.

"You'll do it?" Override asked excitedly, his voice a little louder than he intended.

Joker giggled before answering, "Don't threaten me with a good time, kid. Gimme some details."

Override's eyes lit up and a genuine smile formed on his face. This was going better than he expected.

"Well, my father and Sal started a side business together last year. Uh, specializing in, um, sex workers," he said, his tone dropping with his gaze as he looked at the table top. "Not, um, voluntary sex workers. But a human trafficking situation. Mostly from other countries but some girls from around Gotham too. I knew getting the cops involved wouldn't help, he covers their tracks too well and still has some of them on his pay roll. I found out about Sal's rivalry with you and… I had to choose a side, I guess. I thought maybe I could get your help to put a stop to it."

Joker's jaw tensed as he chewed at his tongue, a grave look on his face. He always thought of himself as a better class of criminal. He didn't want money. Money didn't carry the meaning these men thought it did. It was so easily taken away. Sal selling girls for sex in exchange for money. He wanted to laugh. Something about that was funny. It was funny what the man will stoop to in order to prove himself to no one at all. Dirty, rotten. This would be no heroic action. No, this was about Sal getting what he deserved. Going out in a blaze of hellfire with his dick chopped off.

He finally spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, "Mmmm well I'd be just happy as a clam to teach our Sal a little, uh, lesson."

A smile inched its way back on Override's face before he offered his hand for Joker to shake.

Joker smirked back and growled, "We have a deeaal."

Nora wandered the warehouse, looking for Joker. It was later that evening, the building quiet once again. Her energy had worn thin after meeting with Q and Enigma, not to mention the new development with Override, so she'd laid down for a nap to catch another hour of sleep. Then that hour turned into three or four.

She peeked around the corner to the back room where it was dark. A shiver ran down her back as she stared into the blackness.

"J?" she called.

Nothing. The shooting range was empty too.

With a huff, she walked back through the large room, her gaze searching for any trace of green or purple waiting to jump out in an attempt to startle her. Then her eye caught something. The door to the roof above the second level landing was open.

Nora came up the stairs to see a trail of lit candles leading up the ladder to the roof. Her cheeks felt warm and her stomach fluttered as her lips curved into a smile. Grabbing the cool hand rail, she ascended the ladder, her heartbeat trilling with anticipation. When she reached the top, she was met with the sight of a brilliant sunset, the sky lit with vivid shades of pink and purple that left the atmosphere tranquil and rosy. A cozy couch was turned west, to face the sunset and a small log fire contained within a circle of bricks was positioned at a comfortable distance in front of it. Strings of little gleaming lights lit the edge of the roof. Her smile grew larger as she took everything in before turning around to see Joker waiting for her, a cold bottle of champagne in his hand.

"I'd say you deserve to be romanced a little. Wouldn't you, doll?" he said.

Her face lit up brighter than the sky. To say this was unexpected was an understatement. She never expected a normal relationship from J. That wasn't even what she wanted. She wanted the chaos, the fire, the guns, the warehouse, all of it. Her new normal, her new home. She hadn't realized just how much she needed to escape the life of everyday normalcy, that monotonous march down the same path day after day, until she took a sharp turn down a dark alley and ended up here. J wasn't normal, just how she liked it. He took her hand and danced with her down the road into the blackness. But she wasn't afraid.

She ran toward Joker to wrap her arms forcefully around him, making him almost drop the champagne, before brazenly enveloping his mouth with hers.

They broke away from the kiss and Joker raised his eyebrows as he blinked, staring straight ahead. He licked and popped his lips before looking to her to ask, "So you agree?"

Nora giggled and nodded, "Yes, I love it! Thank you J. This was very unexpected."

"Ahh well the element of, uh, sur-prise has its uses. C'mon, not much daylight left." he grinned.

She smiled back as he lead her to the couch in front of the fire where they got comfortable, taking swigs from the champagne bottle as they watched the sunset. Nora laid with her back against Joker's chest, warmth from the champagne in her belly and enclosing her from all angles. She sighed into the radiant air around them. Contented and loved are words that only scratch the surface to describe how she was feeling.

Joker's head swam with thoughts and feelings that he'd long forgotten he was capable of. He deprived himself of human connection for so long. Not on purpose, at first. Treat a man as a monster and he'll become one. But you can't take everything away from him, even he knew that. A man can be pushed past his breaking point but he remains human. He'd always been human. Just a human with walls around him tall enough that no one could scale them. Except Nora. She slipped through the cracks, stared his defiant emotions in the face and said 'I'll show you'. A hopeless romantic, masked by layers of grease paint, brought back to life on that cold metal table by her trembling fingers.

The last rays of orange light disappeared behind the Gotham skyline and Joker shifted beneath Nora to stand. He bowed forward and offered her his hand. Her gaze sparkled in the light of the fire as she took it. He swayed with her beneath the first stars of the night, spinning her to a silent tune, the familiar taste of mint and greasepaint on her tongue.

The next morning, birds chirped to welcome the sun over the horizon, rousing Nora from her sleep. Her bleary eyes were met with wisps of clouds stretching across the pale sky. She closed them again and sighed to settle back into the warmth around her before they flew back open, realizing she was waking out in the open air. She quickly sat up and recognized her rooftop surroundings. They must have fallen asleep in front of the fire.

She turned to see Joker asleep next to her, where she'd been resting her head on his chest all night. His painted features were smudged, contrasting with the peaceful stillness of sleep. Her lips curved into a soft smile before she leaned down to place a kiss on his.

His eyes remained closed but a grin crept its way onto his face. He lifted his arms to wrap them around her, keeping her in place as he returned a stronger kiss. Once their lips parted, his eyelids opened to focus his deep brown gaze on Nora. She blinked back at him, her cheeks flushing beneath his stare.

He took a deep breath to sigh before asking, "Ya know, doll, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"

Her face turned a shade darker and her eyes widened at his question. She'd never really heard him say anything like that before, it caught her off guard.

"Um no, they haven't," she answered, her surprise reflected in her tone.

"Ahh well isn't that a crime," he said smoothing her hair back from her face.

Nora couldn't help the huge smile that developed and the glitter in her eyes as she stared speechless at him.

"Ah haaaa, here we have exhibit A," he grinned, making her giggle. "Are ya hungry, beautiful?"

She nodded, her smile unwavering, before he squeezed her and lifted her off of the couch as he stood. Her giggles grew louder as he tossed her over his shoulder before heading for the door. He made his way down the ladder and the stairs before Joker was finally huffing and let her down. He took her face in his hands to kiss her once more as her laughing quieted.

Joker took a phone from his pocket and dialed it. After a moment he said, "Breakfast, your choice, bring it here," before promptly hanging up.

"Was that Enigma?" Nora asked.

He smirked and nodded as she chuckled, "Never a dull moment, J."

After Nora changed into fresh clothes, she joined Joker at the table to puff on cigarettes while they awaited their involuntary delivery from Enigma.

"Thank you," Nora said suddenly.

"Mmm?" Joker hummed rolling his head to the side to face her as he took another drag.

She suddenly felt embarrassed and couldn't make eye contact with him, so she stared at the table as she continued, "Thank you for everything. For hiring me, for rescuing me, for keeping me around. I know you didn't have to."

He blew smoke from the side of his mouth as he stared at her, waiting for her to look at him but she kept her eyes down. He reached out and took her chin between his fingers to gently turn her toward him.

"No thanks necessary, Nora. I already told ya, how could expect me to stay away from this?" he purred, looking at her through heavy lids.

She met his gaze and grinned, "What would people think? Gotham's most wanted man fucking sweet Nora Hawthorne?"

His grin widened as his voice dropped deep to answer, "I don't care," before pulling her in to lock lips.

The side door opened, but they remained undisturbed, eyes closed, melting into each other.

Enigma approached the table with a paper bag in hand, stopping within ear shot to loudly clear his throat. Joker raised his index finger up to him for a moment before releasing Nora and licking his lips, turning his head slowly toward Enigma.

"Pardon the interruption, sir, but breakfast is served," Enigma said in his worst British accent, eyebrows raised.

Joker blinked at him and sarcastically replied, "Why thank you, Jeeves."

Enigma scoffed through his nose with a smirk, dropping the bag on the table as Nora chuckled.

"Thanks, E," she said, earning a smile from him.

Joker helped himself to the contents of the bag, bagels and cream cheese, shrugging his shoulders before diving in. While Nora prepared one for herself, he rudely stuck his tongue all the way out to lick a large amount of the spread off of a bagel before, turning to her to bounce his eyebrows, making her giggle out loud.

Enigma shoveled his own portion into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Jesus, E. Didn't your mother ever tell ya to chew your food?" Joker stated through his full mouth.

Enigma looked up, exaggeratedly chewed and swallowed before answering, "Didn't yours ever teach ya not to talk with your mouth full?"

Nora's eyes went wide at Enigma's bold statement and shifted her gaze between the two men. She hadn't really heard anyone talk to Joker like that before.

Joker leaned forward and said darkly, "No-pe," popping the p.

After a beat of silence the two men burst into a fit of laughter, leaving Nora with a relieved, but slightly confused, smile. It seemed as though Enigma had a different relationship with Joker than the other men.

As if her question was written on her forehead, Joker spoke up, "Enigma has outlasted anyone on my little crew since the beginning. I supp-ose you could say I'm, uh, fond of him."

"Shit, boss. You're makin' me blush," Enigma chuckled.

Joker snorted a laugh as the side door opened and Nick arrived with Override. He stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth and stood to clap his hands together loudly.

"Alright! Let's get to it," he called out through the mouthful of bread.

It was just past nightfall when Nora waited with Joker and Nick in a black car, parked across the across the street and a few doors down from Sal's Italian restaurant. Nick put a cigarette between his lips and flicked his lighter. Joker reached forward and snatched it from his mouth, Nick's expression turning rather offended.

"By all means, make it obvious we're here," Joker stated simply.

The radio buzzed with static before Maroni's voice filled the car, "Let's get this rollin' Toni, I 'aint got all night."

Nora stomach lurched at the sound. Then her heart rate sped up and she clenched her jaw. Joker noticed her tense up and casually slid closer to her in the backseat, soothing the anxiety building up within her as he stretched his arm over her shoulders.

"A'right, so the pick-up is tomorrow. Two cars outta be enough," another voice said. Nora assumed it was Toni Zucco.

Then Override's voice joined them and said, "I can drive, I need some extra cash. Where's it at?"

He sounded different than when he talked to them at the warehouse, like he had to pretend to be someone he wasn't around his father.

"So now you wanna help?" asked Toni.

Nora's heart pounded once again. She didn't know if she could take it if Override got hurt. He'd been nothing but sweet and she found herself feeling protective of him.

"Yeah I'm here 'aint I?" he replied.

Sal spoke up and said, "Let's just give the boy the job, Toni."

"A'right then. Be at the docks at eight tomorrow night," answered Toni before Nora breathed a sigh of relief.

The radio went silent and within minutes the passenger door opened and a visibly sweaty Override sat down in the seat, blowing a deep breath through his lips.

"Ya did good, kid," Joker said with a grin.

Song for this chapter: New Love Cassette by Angel Olsen

**Woo I hope you liked it!**

**Lots of relationship development between J and Nora in this chapter so I went a little fluff-wild. These two just give me some feels, man!**

**Don't worry, we'll get back to knives, guns, and explosions coming up in chapter 20!**

**Comments welcome as always! I love hearing from you all **


	20. Chapter 20: Applied Sciences

**Hello! Whew, I'm back!**

**Man I tell, ya. Writer's block is a cruel bitch. This chapter took FOREVER to write, I hope you like it! We got some twists and turns coming up! **

**Also, THIS STORY HAS REACHED 200 PAGES AND SURPASSED 100,000 WORDS**

**Omg, y'all. I really appreciate all of the support, it means more to me than you know, and THANK YOU FOR READING!**

***Warnings: brief mention of alcoholism/addiction, light torture, breaking and entering**

**Chapter Twenty: Applied Sciences**

Maroni had to die. Nora had no doubt in her mind about that by now. He'd proven himself to be a despicable human being. But… couldn't the same argument be made for J? He's killed lots of people and endangered many others. What made them different?

Not much. Maroni killed for money and power, Joker killed to prove a point. It wasn't that he didn't understand social constructs, he just believed they were faulty, inherently sick. His point was that anyone is just one step away from betraying those moral sensibilities we hold ourselves to. They are a silver-lined veil that hides society's true nature. To oppress the underserved and only do good to reap the benefits that superficial conformity awards. All it takes is one bad day, one loss, one crack in the mirror and those laws of human decency are no-where to be found.

Silence was becoming just as bad as the greed that continued to swallow Gotham City and Nora chose a side. Was it the right side? The just side? No. No one was right or just now. One dirty deal replaces another. Did she believe in true human decency? She didn't know, but she did know that she couldn't afford to right now. Her regard for human need is what brought her closer to Joker in the first place. But she found a place in the darkness worth fighting for. She was flooded with want, blinded by the white hot fire of his touch. His presence filled her with a warmth she couldn't describe. Volatile but gentle, biting and acidic but sweet. Now she was contented to drown in it, love born from a strange and dark place. She was hooked on it.

What about Joker's feelings for Nora? Didn't that go against everything he set out to prove? It didn't. What they had was selfish. A longing, insatiable selfishness as raw as desire itself. He devoured her every touch, every noise, every taste like a drug. He needed her now. His one exception. Hold her and everything else goes up in flames. Feeding that fire only left him wanting more as it grew hotter. Seeing her eyes roll back with pleasure as he kissed down her body, nothing compared.

They had chased that high and it turned into something beyond their control, trapping them within arm's length of each other. That pull was powerful and unrelenting. Attraction wasn't enough to describe it. A connection. One that tied a string knotted deep in their chests. It didn't matter how improbable it was, it happened.

It wasn't going to be easy. Nothing had been so far. Maroni was detestable, but he was no fool. Override seemed sure that his father knew nothing of his job with Joker, but Nora knew better than to blindly trust him. J certainly didn't, implicit reliance was not an option.

Q and Nick had been sent to collect more information on Override. If he was going to work this closely with J, he'd better not have a single skeleton in his closet.

"Degree in electrical engineering and computer programming from MIT, bit of a whiz kid, skipped high school, no siblings, father is a complete prick, mother is an alcoholic as well as a shopping addict, no friends, no girlfriend, left his job at Wayne Enterprises two months ago," said Nick, as he dropped photocopies of documents, photos, and newspaper clippings on Joker's desk.

Nora laid on her stomach on the bed, her chin in her hand rested on her propped elbow. She finished the cigarette she'd started after Nick unknowingly interrupted them, just as she'd slid J's coat off of his shoulders and latched her mouth onto his. Her core still ached, feeling unsatisfied by the cigarette she'd attempted to replace J's touch with.

Joker's gaze met hers for a moment and he smirked at the look she had in her eyes with her lip between her teeth before she rolled them up to the ceiling, feigning innocence with a smile. He bounced an eyebrow at her before turning back to Nick.

"Mhmmm," he hummed. "What about Wayne's place? What did he do there?"

"Something in what they called applied sciences. Couldn't find anythin' else about it really, it was weird," Q said.

Joker looked up from the papers on his desk, raising his eyebrows. Nora's smile dropped. She wasn't sure why yet, but something didn't feel right.

Joker's mouth twitched before he grumbled, "Fin-d something else about i-t."

Q furrowed his brow at his boss's sudden change in demeanor and nodded swiftly.

"What's your plan for tomorrow then? Are we still gonna use the kid?" Nick asked.

Joker tilted his head at him and answered, "Well that won't be a question if you're quick about it, hm?"

Nick tensed his jaw for a moment and nodded before promptly turning to leave with Q. The room was uncomfortably quiet, an invisible tension weighing heavy in the air. Joker sighed and leaned back in his chair to prop his heels on the desk while Nora looked at the floor, trying not to stare at him, waiting for him to break the silence.

Joker let his head drop back to face the ceiling and asked, "What do you know about, uh, Wayne Enterprises, doll?"

She snapped her eyes up from the floor, somewhat confused by his question. "Well, I think Bruce Wayne is CEO maybe? He's probably Gotham's biggest asshole. I never really thought about what they do there," she replied.

"Most people don't," he said. "Tha-t big building of theirs casts a shadow so large that people don't even see it anymore. It tow-ers over their heads, sucking up wealth like a magnet."

She lit another cigarette, watching him carefully as he spoke.

"Wayne Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, Steel, Aerospace, Biotech, Industries, Chemical, Medical, aaand Re-search," he continued, counting each of the company's branches on his fingers. "CEO is a man named Lucius Fox, majority shareholder is Bruce Wayne. What our dear Override did for them, I'd uh very much like to know."

Nora exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "You think he's playing you? Override?"

"He knows something," Joker growled.

She nodded, taking a drag off of her cigarette before handing it to him.

"And I'm gonna find out what it is," he said before bringing the cigarette to his lips.

Joker and Nora's limbs tangled together on the bed, the sheets tossed aside during the warm summer night. The sun hadn't been up for long when Nora stirred, feeling the mattress dip slightly on either side of her. Joker's lips peppered kisses down her neck as he balanced himself over top of her. A sleepy smile crept onto her face, her eyes still closed as she tilted her head back into the pillows to allow him access to more of her. He rested his bare chest against her tank top, putting his mouth just below her ear and teasing her skin with his tongue. She hummed and fluttered her eyes open.

"Good mornin', doll," he purred, his clean face free of greasepaint there to greet her.

Her smile grew wider as she answered softly, "Good morning, J."

He smirked and said, "Did ya have a good time last night?"

Memories of the night before, his hands exploring her body as he watched her squirm beneath his touch, brought a flush to Nora's cheeks and warmth to her core.

"A very good time," she grinned, biting her lip.

Joker licked his lips and leaned in towards hers to rumble, "Gooood," before kissing her heavily.

He released her mouth, letting his nose linger beside hers for a moment before sitting up onto his knees. "Much to do today, doll face. Care to, uh, join me?" he asked.

Her heart fluttered. She knew it was wrong, his actions often involved total lack of remorse, disregard for safety, as well as usually ending someone's life. But Joker including her in his plans thrilled her. He made her feel powerful, influential, like things she did actually mattered and it tempted her with intensity. Not only was he alluring, but so was his way of life. He knew she would fit in from the beginning. She had no desire to escape this. She'd come this far already and had no intention of going back.

She returned his devilish smile and nodded. He leaned in to kiss her once more with a loud smack of their lips before hopping up to pull on his pinstriped pants. He could be such a dork for being Gotham's most feared man. Nora giggled while she sat up in bed. His burst of excited energy was almost contagious, maybe she'd catch it once she had some coffee.

Nora crawled out of bed and followed his lead, picking clothes out of the dresser to wear while Joker carefully shaved his face. She walked into the bathroom to see him pop the caps off of the greasepaint next to the sink.

"Can I do it?" she asked suddenly. Even she wasn't sure why she asked.

He turned around and stared at her for a moment. Vulnerability wasn't one of his strong suits. But this was different. Intimacy and vulnerability aren't the same thing. Being intimate opened the door for vulnerability but they aren't the same.

Joker set the open containers of paint on the sink top and sat on the cabinet, leaning forward so that Nora could reach his face. She smiled at him and stuck two fingers into the white paint, cool and tacky on her skin. With one hand she held his hair back as she began to smear white over his face with the other. She outlined from his forehead and around to his jawline, coating some on his ears like she'd seen him do. Then she scooped more paint out of the jar and filled in the rest of his face with a thin layer of ghostly white. He blinked at her but remained silent, watching her while she reached for the jar of black. Joker closed his eyes as she messily smeared the dark paint over them, creating the familiar wild onyx circles that darkened his gaze, giving him that hypnotic glare. He furrowed his brow and exaggeratedly squeezed his eyelids together before blinking them open, creating creases and streaks in the paint. Nora giggled and reached for the red paint. With one finger she spread the bright crimson over his scars, gently following the jagged pattern of the roughened flesh and blending it into the white at the edges. Then his lips. He parted them slightly as she took her time, concentrating and watching her fingertip coat them in paint. Over the forked scar on his bottom lip, around to his upper lip, the plump soft tissue springing back from beneath her touch. Once she finished, she lifted her dreamy gaze to meet his. She blinked back at him before gently holding his face to place a delicate kiss on his freshly painted lips.

Love wasn't a word that was going to be uttered. But it hung there, in the air. Joker hummed and lifted his hands to hold her there, returning her kiss with added pressure. He released her lips, licking his and turning to look in the mirror.

He chuckled and said, "Perfec-t."

They finished getting dressed and descended the stairs together, Nick already waiting at the table with three carry-out cups of coffee. He yawned as they approached, before sliding two cups of coffee toward them.

"Hello, sunshine," Joker teased as he snatched the cup and sat down, leaning back and crossing his ankles while taking a large gulp.

"That's hot," Nick mumbled.

Joker swallowed without so much as a wince and said, "I'm a-ware. What'd ya have for me?"

Nick sighed, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Nothin'. It looked like everything from that department was destroyed. I couldn't find no records, no pay stubs, no e-mails, nothin'. There's nothing in public or company archives other than applied sciences existed. Nothin' else."

Joker tensed his jaw then licked at the inside of his scars as he nodded slowly. "Well uhh that's it, then. Bring the kid here," he said decidedly.

Nick chewed on his lip and nodded as he stared at the table.

A quiet tension gripped the room after Nick left. Nora sat on the counter sipping her coffee, lost in her thoughts. Was Override's involvement with Wayne Enterprises really that significant? Joker certainly thought so but he wasn't entirely infallible, was he? But the lack of any trace was admittedly suspicious. Whatever was going to come of this, she just hoped he wasn't planning to betray J. That wouldn't go over well at all.

"What're ya thinkin' about, doll?" Joker's voice carried over the still air, heavy and rich.

Her gaze snapped up to see him standing from his chair by the table, eyeing her silently as he slid his coat off of his shoulders and laid it over a chair.

She blinked and looked down at the floor, suddenly unable to meet his gaze, before answering, "You probably know."

He slowly approached her to place his hands on her knees and leaned against them. "I do," he said plainly before darting his tongue over his lip, waiting for her response.

"He's so young and… innocent, seemingly," she said.

Joker nodded and replied, "Seeminglyyy."

Nora closed her eyes before opening them to finally meet his and she said quietly, "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"Of course you don't," he answered.

She fell silent for a moment, staring at him, before asking, "And you do?"

He blinked at her, his mouth twitching slightly. No one had ever challenged him like that before. Not the Joker at least. But she was different.

"No," he mumbled. "Only if he earns i-t."

Nora felt her face heat up, that little voice, her conscience, echoing distantly in her mind. It wasn't regret. She felt remorse. For her humanity. Her eyes had been opened to the harsh side of human nature and she had trouble looking back. Even the kid wasn't free from it. He very well might be up to something. But that little voice was still there, it's quiet cries stinging her. She decided then that she would step in if she felt she had to. She knew what J was capable of. But something in his eyes said that she wouldn't have to. Violence wasn't for violence's sake, she knew that too. She remained silent, nodding slowly.

Joker knew how to read people. He read Nora like a book from the beginning. Now her uncertainty was written across her face. His chest burned, seeing that look in her eyes. Like she was disappointed. He licked at his scars and looked down at her knees, trying to steel himself against the emotions threatening to cloud his mind. He didn't like what she was doing to him, his sociopathic tendencies fought kicking and screaming for dominance. She was knocking down those walls he'd spent so much time building. She taps them with her finger and they just come tumbling down for her. Too easily. He expected to feel nothing, like he always did. He expected to be annoyed, but he wasn't. He only felt that burning in his chest.

"Only if he earns it," Nora said quietly.

He lifted his eyes back up to meet hers, staring into them for a moment. She didn't have to say anything else, her expression told him she understood.

"On-ly if he earns it," he repeated back, nodding his head in affirmation.

Nora chewed her lip and said, "Let's just hope he doesn't earn it then."

Joker blinked, pausing before he replied, "Let's hope."

The side door flung open and Nick stepped through it quickly, Override following behind warily. Nick took long strides toward the table to swiftly pull a chair out and loudly drag it the center of the room.

"Sit," he told Override, pointing at the seat.

Override swallowed thickly, looking at the chair then over where Joker and Nora now stood to be met with a stern look from Joker. He flinched and rushed to the chair, quickly sitting down and balling his fists in his lap as he stared at the floor, his brow furrowed. Nick stretched a roll duct tape around his lap, pinning his hands to his thighs and his legs to the seat, walking away once it was secured.

Joker sucked his teeth loudly before taking slow steps toward the lone chair placed erroneously in the center of the room. His footsteps echoed forebodingly through the silence. He never took his eyes off of Override, unblinking and expression unreadable. Within a foot of the red head, who now had his eyes squeezed shut, Joker bent forward to bring his painted face only inches in front of the kid's naturally pale one. Override could sense his closeness, close enough to feel his breath on his face, but he kept his eyes shut, his breathing becoming faster.

"You know why you're here," Joker stated simply.

Override carefully opened his eyes, a visible shiver going down his spine when he met Joker's gaze.

Joker blinked and said, "Adam Zucco. You worked for Wayne Enter-prises for six months that just, poof!" He waved his hands through the air, "disappearrre-d." He tilted his head to the side and asked, "Care to, uh, ex-plain?"

The kid started to tremble, his jaw tensing as he quickly shifted his eyes to stare at the floor again. He didn't make a sound other than his rapid breathing through his nose, keeping his mouth shut. His behavior didn't inspire confidence in is innocence.

"Override," Nora called from where she sat at the table nearby. "Tell us."

He only flinched and squeezed his eyes shut again.

Joker sighed and cracked his neck before walking behind Override's chair. He reached into his pants pocket to pull out a switch blade, the knife sliding out of the handle with an ominous click. Then he firmly gripped Override's ear with one hand and held the blade to where his ear met his skull with the other.

Override began to tremble uncontrollably, choking on the sobs he was denying passage through his lips, his knuckles clenched white. Nora's heart pounded as she watched, trying to keep her face from contorting into a grimace. _Wait. Just wait._

"Let's try that again," Joker growled, putting slight pressure on the knife blade. "Spill it, kid."

A small sound escaped his throat but Override said nothing as he started the strain against the tape binding him to the chair but didn't dare to move his head.

"Beg your pardon? I can't qui-te hear you" Joker said, dragging the knife just enough to nick his skin.

Override winced, sucking in air through his teeth.

Nora looked to Joker, his expression empty. He was going to find out what Override knew, one way or another. But before he pushed the knife deeper into the tissue, Override suddenly spoke.

"I-If I, if I talk. You'll still, s-still help me?" he stuttered through the chattering of his teeth.

"If you talk, I won't cut off your ear," Joker answered. "Be-yond that, won't make aaany promis-es."

Override took in a shaky breath before saying quietly, "I-I was working for Batman."

Nora's eyes went wide and Joker jerked his hands back, his face twisting into a scowl. He walked briskly to the table to rip a chair away, flinging it in front of Override to sit down and lean in to stare at him with penetrating eyes.

"Uh, excuse me?" he asked in a much too casual tone, pushing his hair out of his face with his hand then putting it at his ear. "I'm not sure I heard that right, can you repeat that?"

Override stared back at him, still shaking beneath his restraints. "I, u-um, I was working for Batman," he said, only marginally louder.

Joker's eyes narrowed and he dropped his chin, blinking at him as he said, "Welll, isn't that, uh, inter-esting."

He stood and started to take slow, nonchalant steps back and forth as he fidgeted with the knife in is hand. Sweat was covering the kid's forehead, beads beginning to drip into his eyes, his bound arms unable to reach up to stop them.

"Now, what was it that you did for our dear, uh, Batman, hm?" he asked.

Override looked back at the floor, his mouth twitching but forming no words. Suddenly Joker stopped in front of him and yanked his head up by his hair, earning a surprised shout.

"Oh I'm sorry, did you not understand the QUESTION?" he growled in his face.

Joker then held the blade's sharp point beneath Override's chin. He grumbled, "Don't make me ask it againn."

He panted for a moment before answering quickly, "Ok! Ok, ok. Applied sciences. I got hired right after my internship. I ended up working for Mr. Fox. I helped program some of his… his equipment."

Joker swiftly moved the knife at let go of his hair, stepping away and leaving the kid to catch his breath. Then he stood still, facing away from Override, his hand gripping the knife handle tightly. Nora stared at Override, trying to process what was happening.

"Bruce Waaayne," Joker said plainly.

He turned back to Override to slowly sit back down in front of him, keeping his eyes glued to his face, now drenched in sweat.

"How much did he pay you to keep your mouth shut, hm?" he asked.

Override's eyes widened, surprise at the question rendering him unable to find his words.

Joker's tongue darted out over his lip before he grabbed his face and said, "Uh, but now is not the time to keep it shu-t."

"Two million!" Override spurted out.

"Twooo million," Joker repeated. "Now just what have you done with all of that money, hm?"

He looked to the floor again and said, "I… I put it away. In an IRA."

Joker nodded and said, "Well look at you, little financial planner," reaching out to pinch his cheek with mocking endearment.

Then Joker leaned back in his chair and rested an ankle on his opposite knee. "What brought you here then, hm? Cash in your pocket, good social status. But ya come down here to roll in the dirt with us?" he asked, picking at his nails with the knife.

"I told… I told you," Override answered timidly.

Joker's eyes shot up from the knife at his fingertips before uncrossing his legs and leaning in toward him again.

"Ohhh well en-ligh-ten me on what that was again, if you pleeaase," he snarled in a gravelly voice.

Override gulped and squeezed his eyes shut again as he answered, "Th-the, um, the sex trafficking. Um, my father a-and Sal."

Joker growled, "Ahhh well why not enlist your merci-ful Bat-man to help you?"

He cracked his eyes open to meet Joker's fiery gaze and said, "He's gone. The… the whole department was shut down. Then he was gone."

"Yesss he is gone. And now you're here," Joker replied. After a pause, he continued, "This won't be about you. This'll be a-bout soo much more than you."

Override's breathing slowed slightly and he nodded, keeping his eyes on Joker's.

"We'll deal with Sal. Then it's dear Bruce's turn," he said with intent.

Joker suddenly brought his knife forward and Override flinched before he used it to cut the tape over his lap, then silently walked away.

"You knew, didn't you?" Nora asked, when they were back in the office together.

Joker nodded silently, chewing at his scars.

He'd known for a while. Or at least he was highly suspicious of it. He just needed it confirmed. Bruce Wayne was Batman. When Nora thought about it, it did make sense. He had unlimited amounts of money, an ambiguous past, and a giant corporate conglomerate at his disposal. His motivations, she didn't know. But his means, it all made sense. J was holding back on talking about it any further and Nora wasn't going to push him. They had work to do, after all.

The afternoon was a blur of activity after Joker gave the operation the green light. Trust wasn't really the word for his stance, but he was satisfied with Override's answers. His job for his uncle was to drive one of the cars to transport girls to their safe house. There wasn't much room for error but Joker found several cracks in the scheme to wiggle in through.

_6:56 pm_. One hour until the job. Nora was securing the small gun Joker had given her in a strap on her calf.

"Dome!" she called out across the when she stood up.

The bald man wheeled around to see her approaching him with her medical bag in her hand.

"Oh hey, doc!" he said.

She smiled and replied, "Hey, I never got to take those staples out of your head."

He chuckled and said, "Ah doc, ya don't need to worry about me."

"They're still there, right?" she asked, ignoring his protests.

"Ahh yeah, I couldn't get 'em out," he admitted.

Nora smirked and pulled up a chair for him to sit down before unzipping her bag to search for staple removers.

"I'm, uh, I'm glad Sal didn't get ya too bad there, doc," he said, pointing to the fading bruise on her temple.

She blinked and answered, "Thanks, Dome. Me too," sliding gloves on her hands.

The little device in hand, she started to gently guide it beneath each staple to squeeze the handle and crimp the small metal bars to free the ends from his skin.

"Good thing we're doing this now," she said. "They're starting to bury into your scalp."

She felt his forehead wrinkle under her hands before he replied, "Oh… gross."

She laughed and popped the last staple out. "There, it healed great by the way."

"Thanks doc. Be careful out there, eh?" he said.

"You too," she answered, returning his warm smile.

Nora threw away her gloves and slung her medical bag over her shoulder to go find J. She passed a few groups of men as they pulled clown masks over their faces on their way outside, climbing into chaser cars that were going ahead to create a perimeter. Override stood with Nick and Enigma. He looked a bit nervous but now he held himself up straight with new determination, finally about to fulfill his own personal mission, albeit under rather strange circumstances. Nora wasn't sure if he idolized Batman or not. Even if he did, she still somewhat admired his ambition.

"There she is," Nora heard spoken quietly from behind her.

She turned around for Joker to take her face in his hands and pull her in for a kiss. She relaxed and melted into his touch, remarkably tender for the man everyone knew him as. He held her there for a moment, pulling her lips into his mouth and humming as he tasted them.

When he released her, she opened her eyes as he popped his lips and said, "Now I'm ready."

She chuckled and he let his hands drop from her cheeks, paying no mind to the rest of the room around them. "Are ya ready, doll?" he asked.

She took a breath and chewed her lip, nodding briefly before reaching into a pocket of her bag. A small vial between her fingers, she said, "Ready."

_7:47 pm._ Nora sat with Joker in the back of one of the black cars, the convoy splitting up along their route.

Nick's voice came over the radio, "The kid's on his way to the pick up site. No trouble yet."

"Alright, keep radio silence," Joker replied with his thumb on the button.

Streetlights passed by, flickering on as the sun sunk below the horizon. Nora had gotten surprisingly used to this. This… anarchy. The last moments before the chaos were always strangely calm. That is why they say 'the calm before the storm' after all. There's an eerie quiet in the air, it seems mundane from the outside. But one's heart starts to pump faster, muscles tense up in preparation for action, sweat starts to dampen the skin.

Their car pulled up to an enormous house in the Gotham suburbs, tacky mini mansions and primped landscaping everywhere. Nora snorted at their surroundings and Joker giggled before Enigma pulled the car around the block to a patch of trees behind the house.

"Ok, wait at the train station. Six blocks away," Joker told Enigma.

Enigma checked his watch and nodded before Joker quickly exited the car, Nora following close behind. The quiet residential street felt more exposed than the narrow alleys of Gotham proper, making Nora feel rather uncomfortable. But they walked casually, putting on an air like they were supposed to be there. They approached the house in the dark from behind where a security panel was set up by the back door.

Joker opened the panel door and hummed a ridiculous tune as he picked at the wires below the case he popped off with a screwdriver while Nora smiled and rolled her eyes. He made quick work of shutting it off then promptly raised his foot and kicked the door open, the small bolt lock not standing a chance. He raised his eyebrows at Nora and stepped through the door, stopping to stand in the kitchen. He took his radio from his pocket and simply said, "Alright."

He stood in front of Nora, staring into the dark house. All she could hear was the rush of blood in her hears until a group of six of his men came in through the back door with guns drawn, walking around him to split up and search the house. A few tense minutes passed and Nora stepped forward to stand beside him as one his men approached them.

"A'right, all clear," he said.

Joker grinned and called out, "Ok! Places gentlemen, it's almost curtain time!"

Song for this chapter: Beat the Devil's Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

**Thank you for reading!**

**Reviews/comments always welcome, I'd love to hear what you think! Hopefully the next chapter won't take me so long, smh. **


	21. Chapter 21: What You Deserve

**Hey, everyone! Whew, things have been crazy busy so it's been hard to find time to write but I'm back with chapter 21!**

**Ohhh man, I hope you like it! I'm excited! Let me know if you catch the little reference I made to another movie in there lol**

**Warnings for this chapter (content gets a little dark, y'all!): blood and graphic violence, forced injectable drug use, description of drug induced delirium**

**Enjoy! **

**Chapter Twenty One: What You Deserve**

Nora tried to slow the racing of her heart. Her anxiety had been building all evening but she managed to keep herself relatively calm, despite the situation she put herself in. She wanted this. Sal was overdue for a taste of his own medicine and she'd always regret it if she didn't help give it to him. She waited with Joker in Maroni's suburban safe house, closets and hallways full of clowns crouched like soldiers behind enemy lines, ready to ambush.

Across town, Override had arrived at the docks to meet Maroni and his father along with a couple more drivers. Nick's finger hovered over the button on his radio as he watched from a nearby car. The radio on the receiving end was clutched in Q's hand, waiting in a large SUV loaded with more of Joker's men, identical to the one Override drove. They idled in an alley off of the route to the safe house. Waiting was the worst part. Minutes might as well have been hours as the itch to make a move twitched Nick's finger.

"There he is! Didn't chicken shit out after all?" his father, Toni Zucco, called to Override as he climbed out of the back seat of a luxury town car that pulled up moments earlier.

Override closed the drivers side door and replied, "No, sir. I'm here."

"Well you're here, now ya gotta follow through," said Zucco.

"Christ, you're a pain in the ass, ain'tcha?" Maroni groaned getting out of another car. "Can we just do this? Come with us, kid."

He swallowed thickly and followed the men and their group of goons onto a cargo boat secured at the dock. Past stacks of shipping containers, they entered the bridge through a rusted door and walked down a damp set of stairs. Their footsteps echoed off the metal walls of the narrow hallway leading to a dimly lit room. Override's heart sank into his stomach at the sight of over a dozen girls and young women guarded by a large bearded man with an automatic rifle.

"Bout time you showed up," the man spoke with a thick southern accent.

Maroni scoffed and replied, "Shut up, Clem, we're on time. This what we got?"

"Yep, this is it. Any more and we'd be sniffed out by the cops in no time," Clem answered.

"Don't you worry about that, you leave the cops ta me, got it?" Maroni snapped.

The man tensed his jaw beneath his long beard and looked away from Maroni like a scolded child as he nodded.

Zucco looked to Override with a scowl on his face and said plainly, "We're dividing 'em up, you get five. Drive 'em to the safe house. Straight to the safe house, on the route behind Sal, no detours."

Override gazed back, returning the dirty look as he held back his urge to slap him, then he nodded slowly. His father broke their gaze to leave the room and head back up the stairs.

"A'right, let's do this," said Maroni.

Joker swayed impatiently in place, surrounded by ostentatious furniture and paintings in the front room of the safe house. The site of him in his dirty purple coat and smeared clown make up standing in that horrendously tacky room would be funny if the tension in the air wasn't so thick.

Nora focused on taking even breaths as she set her medical bag on top of the grand piano in the corner of the room table and sat on the bench. Then she pulled a small, clear vial from one of the bag's pockets. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic. She chose it for Maroni. If he thought that he could humiliate her, treat her like a caged animal, and expect her not to bite back, he was very mistaken. She stuck a needle-tipped syringe into the rubber stopper and pulled out a generous dose, the heat of eminent reprisal rising up in her chest. _Just try to stay calm._

As she replaced that cap over the needle, the radio in Joker's hand crackled before Nick's voice said over the static, "The kid's on the move. We're in position."

"Like a fly to the spider's web," Joker murmured to himself before answering into the radio with a chuckle, "Ok, take it a-way, Saint Nicholas. Bring me somethin' nice, I've been reeaal good this year."

Nora chuckled softly, practically hearing Nick's eyes rolling over the radio.

Joker looked at her and stepped toward her to offer his hand. She took it for him to pull her up from the bench and she looked into his eyes, fiery yet composed. He thrived on this sense of impending violence. It served its purpose, its the one thing people will always understand and violence always begets violence. The cycle just keeps going. If you ignore it, that only makes it more powerful. He pushed it forward while everyone one else scrambled to pull it back, trying to stop it from turning, wanting to make it go away, pretending it isn't there. But it's there and it won't go away, whether they want to face it or not. Men like Maroni, they feed off of that too. But greed overshadows it, blinding him to the threat in right front of him in a purple coat and clown paint.

Override swallowed thickly as he rounded the SUV to open the driver's side door. He paused with his fingers on the handle, watching Maroni lower himself into the back seat of his town car before opening the door and climbing inside to follow him while the other drivers split up on their own routes.

"Kinda small for bein' Toni's boy, ain't ya?" the man Maroni called Clem said from the passenger seat.

Override's brow furrowed and he turned off the radio in his jacket pocket as he kept his eyes on the steering wheel in front of him.

"I guess so," he replied plainly.

He wasn't expecting his father to send one of his men with him. He clearly didn't trust him. The hulking man weighed at least fifty pounds more than him and if he was going to get away with this, he had to improvise. Hero or villain, his time on both sides must have left him with something he could use, if only he could think of it.

He shifted his gaze to adjust the rear view mirror, making eye contact with one of the young women in the back. His heart sped up as he tried to hide the worry creeping onto his expression and focused back on the road ahead. They were only a mile away from where Q was waiting. Options were few and he was rapidly running out of time. His fingers grazed the handle of the gun Joker had given him in his pocket and his breath quickened.

Without a second thought, he grabbed it by the barrel and swung it toward Clem's face as hard as he could. Before he could react, the butt of the gun cracked against the large man's temple, rendering him unconscious for his body to slump toward the passenger's door as the car filled with shouts and screams.

"No, no, no it's ok! No, I'm here to help!" Override called out over the alarm of the women in the car, struggling to keep from running up on the curb.

The screaming quieted to panicked huffs and whispers as he straightened the steering wheel and ripped the radio from his pocket to turn it on.

"Goddammit, kid! Fucking answer!" Nick's cursing blared out of the speaker.

"I'm here, I'm here! Just hit a little snag," Override panted into the radio in reply.

A moment of static passed before Nick answered, "Christ, I don't wanna know, we clear to send in the tail?"

"Yes! Yeah, do it!" Override replied quickly, looking into the rear view mirror.

The look-alike SUV quickly pulled out an alley a few blocks behind him, accelerating to close the distance between them. Soon Override could see Q behind the wheel in the mirror.

"Ok. Get ready and give us the go ahead when it's time," said Nick.

Override forced his eyes back to the road and eased up on the gas pedal, creating more space between him and Maroni's town car ahead as they approached a major intersection. Sweat began to drip down his brow as the traffic light turned green ahead and he lifted the radio up to his mouth.

Once Maroni's car passed through the intersection, Override pressed the button and shouted, "Now!"

As he crossed into the street, a semi truck raced through the red light to come to a sudden halt in front of him. The tires squealed over the sound of shocked screaming from the back seat when he slammed on the brakes and blared the horn as Q's car quickly swerved around the truck from behind him, drawing out the sound until it was out of sight to take his place behind Maroni.

Once they came to a stop, Override closed his eyes and panted with with head against the headrest for a moment as the truck driven by Joker's men pulled away. His eyes flew open when Clem began to stir next to him and he reflexively grabbed his gun to swiftly knock the man into unconscious once again. The air fell eerily still and quiet as he caught his breath before slowly turning around to look into the back of the car.

Wide eyes stared back at him as he swallowed and asked, "Um, everybody ok?"

Some of the women appeared confused while others were still in shock until a blonde haired teenager closest to him nodded and said softly, "Yeah, I… I think so."

"My name's Adam, I um, I'm here to get you out of this," he replied.

Horns honked from the traffic held up around them and Override flinched before promptly stepping on the gas to turn down the street.

"Override's gone, I got a tail on Maroni," Q said over Joker's radio.

Joker licked his teeth and smirked. Ten minutes until show time. Down in the basement, a couple of his men switched off the power, shrouding the house in darkness.

Nora took deep breaths and blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the dark. In the shadows, she could see the white outline of Joker's painted face as he looked toward her. To anyone else, that face inspired nothing but terror. But to her, it felt like home. A warped sense of the word, but home nonetheless. Right where she belonged, between J and the rest of the world.

She stepped toward him as her vision began to sharpen. They gazed at each other in the pale light coming through the window, a dark grin forming on Joker's face. His jovial excitement despite the cruel and illicit nature of their purpose there struck something in her. A thrill, a heightened awareness of the oh so satisfactory revenge that awaited her as she her fingertips grazed the syringe in her pocket. As unsettling as that should be, she didn't feel it. Her anxiety started to melt away as her lips curled into a grin to match his.

The house was deadly silent when Maroni's driver unlocked the door. Foot steps thudded on the Persian rug and the door shut as a frustrated grunt could be heard along with the unproductive flick of a light switch.

"What the fu—" Maroni suddenly stopped when the sound of eerie music being played on the piano in the corner filled the air. The click of a gun being cocked preceded the flash from the barrel as it was fired into the darkness. In the blink of an eye, the room was alight with shots fired in retaliation from all directions while Joker sat at the piano and continued to play. The music almost drowned out the pained cries from the faces illuminated by gunfire. Blood splattered on the wall as Maroni's goons on either side of him hit the floor, leaving him standing there alone. Joker laughed as Sal huffed and stumbled over their bodies in a panic, groping for the bannister behind him in the dark. Once his hands found the wood railing, he hurried up the stairs. The second floor hid an army of clowns armed with knives that jumped out of corners and closets like a carnival haunted house as he ran down the long hallway, shouting and blindly firing the gun he'd pulled from his belt to no avail until the clip was empty.

"Fuck!" he shouted, fumbling with the doorknob to a room at the end of the hall, the horde of clowns closing in on him.

He managed to finally throw the door open, entering the room and slamming it behind him in a panic. He bolted the lock and turned around to freeze at the sight of a group of clowns standing silently in front of his shattered gun cabinet. They had his stash of shotguns and several automatic rifles slung over their shoulders, some now aimed at him.

Sal shook his head, sweat collecting on his furrowed brow as he tried to keep his composure, and said, "No. No, no, no. This 'ain't goin' down like that."

The clown in the middle of the group stepped forward, a Glock in their hand aimed at Maroni's chest. They approached him until he was backed up against the wall, breathing heavily with his eyes on the expressionless mask staring back at him. His breath huffed as the hollow eyes remained fixed on him while the clown reached into their pocket, pressing the gun to his temple. Then the mask was suddenly lifted and Maroni's eyes widened as he came face to face with Nora.

"You know, you're right. I had something else in mind too," she said.

Before he could react, she pulled the syringe from her pocket and stabbed the needle deep into his thigh. He cried out as she forced the plunger down, pushing the drug into his muscle. Nora then stepped back, letting Maroni fall to his hands and knees.

"You crazy bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you? What'd ya just give me?" he shouted at her, his arms beginning to tremble beneath his weight.

Nora sat on top of the desk in the center of the room while the other clowns remained still with guns aimed on Sal and she checked the time before answering cooly, "Just a little something to help you relax. Should take about five minutes."

Maroni panted then suddenly emptied his stomach onto the floor. He spat then lifted his head to say, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised you'd do some shit like this. Since you're… fucking the freak."

She returned his scowl, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. She knew better than to pay any mind to his words, spoken in his futile desperation to regain control. But that didn't stop the twinge of anger building up inside her. She resisted engaging with him and stayed silent, watching the time for the drug take affect as he hung his head and heaved once more.

"I'm on my way to the station!" Override's voice called over Nick's radio.

Nick smiled to himself, he was beginning to like that kid. Honest and endearing, hard to come by in a city like Gotham. Probably wouldn't last. "Ok, I got chasers on the other drivers, shouldn't take long," he replied.

The other two, seemingly inexperienced, drivers transporting girls for Maroni foolishly didn't notice that they had been followed along their respective routes. The cars tailing them were driven by a group of men and women known for their skills in Gotham street racing that Joker had hired, joined by some of his men. He wasn't a man lacking in resources. They flanked each of vehicles on either side, waiting to make their move like lions stalking their prey.

Nick picked up another radio and said, "A'right. Go get 'em."

Once given the go-ahead, the drivers donned their clown masks and sped up to overtake the SUVs, forcing them to pull into alleys where Maroni's drivers where left beaten on the pavement and replaced by clowns. In a matter of minutes, the cars had been intercepted and were headed toward MCU to be dropped off without a trace.

Q and his group of goons arrived at the safe house just behind Maroni and quietly took their places in the living room to swiftly catch Zucco off guard at the door. As it opened, the lights switched on and he was seized, his arms forcibly tied behind his back as the men accompanying him had their throats cut. He was forced to his knees on the rug, panting and struggling against his restraints until he saw brown shoes with blood stained pinstriped pants walking toward him across the carpet and he stopped, slowly lifting his head to look at the looming figure. Zucco's face turned a shade paler when he was met with the sight of Joker's red smile smirking at him.

"Hello there," Joker said.

The mob boss glared at him, steeling his expression to hide the fear twisting his stomach before replying coyly, "I haven't had the pleasure yet, what an honor it is to meet the clown prince. You're just as ugly as I thought you'd be."

Joker cackled loudly and responded with a hand to his chest, "Why thank you. Same to you, uh, Toni. Mister Zucco, Maroni's favo-rite lackey, teacher's pe-t. Tell me, how does it taste? Maroni's ass? You know, since you spend so much time, ah, kissing it."

Zucco yelled obscenities and fought against the grip of the clowns on either side of him until one of them pressed the barrel of a gun to his head. "What do you get out of this anyway?" he shouted, forcing the question out as he felt the cold steel press against his temple.

"Ohhh aside from your just love-ly company, it's a favor for a, uh, frien-d," Joker answered, with a grin.

Toni furrowed his brow then suddenly snarled, "That little fuckin' PRICK! I'm gonna beat that kid to within an inch of his life and cut his goddamn tongue out! Did he hire you?"

Joker raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes to the ceiling before he said, "Mmm, well it's more the other way around."

"What?" Toni shouted, his face twisting with infuriated confusion.

"Ohh yes, Toni, your on-ly son works for me now. The kid's got talent. Didn't know that did ya?" Joker mocked as he stepped closer and lowered himself to one knee in front of the scowling man.

"Ya know, I have talent too," he grumbled clicking open a switch blade from his pocket. Zucco glanced at it and his face fell, eyes widening.

"Youu, you don't have any talent do ya? Hm? Just a slimy, thirsty little leech sucking away till you're nice 'n fa-t," Joker continued, slowly sliding the blade into Zucco's mouth as his jaw trembled.

"Let's see how much the little leech bleeds," he growled before ripping the knife through his cheek.

Zucco screamed through his mangled cheek as blood streamed down his chin. Then Joker swiftly grabbed the back of his neck and moved the knife to slit his throat, letting him fall to the floor, the gurgle from his throat falling silent. He casually wiped the blood from his knife on Zucco's shirt, then slowly stood and licked his lips before heading for the stairs.

"You… You're… You're nothin' but a… a freak like him," Maroni slurred as his head lulled to the side where he was slumped against the wall in the room upstairs. He was becoming increasingly incoherent as the Ketamine in his system affected his brain. A knock at the door echoed in his ears and his blurred vision caught sight of a purple coat.

Joker looked at Maroni then back at Nora and chuckled. "You, doll, are just… formid-able. I liike it," he said huskily as he approached the desk where she sat to stand between her legs.

She smirked back at him before he took her face in his hands and pulled her forward for a deep kiss. Maroni groaned from the floor once they parted lips and Joker blinked before turning toward him.

He grinned and knelt down close to Maroni's face to say in a teasing tone, "What's the matter, hm? Like whatcha see, uh, Sal?"

Maroni grimaced and jerked his head to try to get away from Joker, the movement causing him heave with another wave of nausea, which Joker found to be outrageously funny as he laughed in his face. Suddenly, his vision faded and a sensation like he was floating over his own body came over him. In a panic, he tried to grab hold of something, anything to keep him from drifting upwards but he couldn't move. He only cried out as visions of clowns with blood dripping from their mouths came into view and he tried to close his eyes to hide from them but he couldn't tell if his eyes were already open or closed.

Nora sat and watched Maroni begin to enter the dissociative state that came with high doses of Ketamine. He laid still on the floor with his eyes rolling back and forth as terrifying hallucinations, sense of powerlessness, and an out of body delirium took hold of him. She didn't feel sorry for him. Not after what he'd put her through. This was what he deserved.

A bucket of water was dumped over Maroni's head, startling him out of his dazed state to find himself in a dark cement walled room, wrists and ankles zip-tied to the metal chair he sat in. He panted and pulled at his wrists, the shock of the cold water and his hands tied behind his back making it more difficult to breathe.

"Where are you, you fuckin' coward?" he spat into the darkness.

The harsh lights flicked on and he squinted at the figures seated at a table across the room. Joker held out a lit match for Nora to lean forward and light her cigarette as he stared blankly at Maroni.

"Naah c'mon what's this bullshit? If you're gonna kill me just do it," Maroni groaned.

Joker snorted out a laugh and replied, "Wellll that wouldn't be any fun, would i-t?"

Then Maroni noticed the video camera, it's red recording light blinking, set up on a tripod in front of him and he swallowed thickly.

"We're gonna put on a show, Sal, and you're the star! Are you ready for your close u-p?" Joker taunted.

Nora chuckled while Maroni hung his head to his chest. He took a few attempted deep breaths before lifting his head and saying casually, "Ya know what? How bout we call it square? I took her, then you killed my men and massacred my club. Square."

"HA! Ohhh, Sally boy. This is about more than tha-t. Though that little stun-t was a verrry poor choice on your part," Joker chuckled darkly. "You and I have another score to, uh, settle."

Maroni furrowed his brow and asked, "What fuckin' score?"

"What a weasel you aaare. A forgetful one at tha-t. Let's see, I'll give you a hint," Joker answered, rolling his eyes. "What has nothing but a head and a tail?"

"Fuck you," Maroni mumbled in response.

Joker laughed and said, "Wrong answer! A coin, Mar-oni. Money. Something you'll do just about anything for, hm?"

Maroni glared at him, meeting Joker's dark stare with his own.

"Go on, say i-t," he said, stepping closer to the chair. "Isn't that where this alll started? How much did it cost ya to pay off all those cops, hm? Didn't quite go as, uh, planne-d, did it? You tried to hand me over to your cops, I burned your money. Don't think I didn't know, Sal."

After her rescue, Joker told Nora the origins of his feud with Maroni, aside from his distaste for the mob in general. Maroni he particularly despised for his attempt to lead police to the warehouse where he held the mob's stolen money ransom months ago, during his elaborate take down of Batman and Harvey Dent, by giving the location to Commissioner Gordon.

"A'right, so I tried to give ya to the PD when you had the cash. Is that what the fuck this is all about?" Maroni yelled before dropping his chin back to his chest.

"Just the tip of the iceberg, my Italian friend!" Joker exclaimed. "It isn't just that, Sal. You've always been a useless little squealer, haven't you? All the way back to when you crawled out the mud and into that i-vory tower of yours."

Maroni lifted his head to then find himself inches away from Joker's face. "What're you talkin' about?" he asked begrudgingly.

Joker's lips pulled into a grin and he said jovially, "It's a funny little story that goes like this. Commodus, the jealous and corrupt son of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, was never good enough in his father's eyes. Unfit to rule, a threat to the empire, he said. What does poor Commodus do?" He paused to pull a knife from his pocket. "He kills his dear old dad to take his place on the throne. Patricide. Now that's something you'd know a thing or two about, hm?"

Color drained from Maroni's face before Joker firmly gripped a fistful of his hair and stood to the side. Through his shouts of pain, nerves on fire after the effects of the anesthetic, Joker roughly turned Maroni's head toward the camera and taunted, "How's about a confession? Get it off your chest, old pal, you'll feel better."

Sal only gritted his teeth as Joker stared at him. "Ahh, cam-era shy, hm? Looks like he needs some encourage-ment," Joker growled, letting go of his hair. Suddenly, the knife in Joker's hand was plunged into Maroni's thigh where he left the handle standing straight up.

Maroni screamed and squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled against his restraints until Joker grabbed him by the hair once again. Then he leaned in toward his ear and grumbled in a low voice, "Y'know, I haven't forgotten what you did to her either. It's alll on the table now."

Maroni opened his eyes to see Nora approaching him as she finished her cigarette. "We gotta do something about your face, Sal," she said. "You're so pale, you need a bit more color."

Before he could respond, Nora's fist came crashing against his temple, his teeth clacking and ears ringing from the sudden impact. She continued to beat him mercilessly, then after another round of severe punches to the other side of his head she stepped back and swung her leg for a final blow to his jaw, leaving his face a bloodied mess. The immense satisfaction she got out of treating him like her own human punching bag was almost scary. But it wasn't unexpected. She was tired of getting stepped on, after all, and Joker knew that. She had potential, he said. She'd taken the final step over the line between helpless passivity and rightful lex talionis.

Joker cackled with glee as Maroni caught his breath and spit blood into his lap. "Now that's better!" he laughed. Joker's gloved finger spread the blood from Sal's split lip up his cheeks into a big, red smile and he asked, "Ya havin' a good time yet, Sally?"

Maroni panted then screamed, "What do you want from me?"

"You need to get your ears checked, hm? A confession!" Joker answered.

"What?" Maroni cried, bloody saliva hanging from his lip.

Joker leaned in with one hand on the back of the chair and the other gripping the handle of the knife stuck in Maroni's leg. "Tell 'em, Sal. Tell 'em all what really happened to Luigi Maroni," Joker said loud enough for the camera before swiftly twisting the knife while Nora watched straight-faced.

Sal hollered in pain then managed to spit out, "Tell who?"

A giggle preceded Joker's answer, "Your adoring fans! So thick, aren't ya? Your mafia pals. The, ah, fam-ily if you will."

Maroni fell silent and stared straight ahead into the camera, breathing heavily with the realization of what was about to happen. Then his face twisted into a scowl and he screamed as he suddenly jerked his body violently in the chair, flinging the knife out of his leg but also dislocating his shoulder with the force. He screamed louder and Joker moved behind him to slide his hand beneath Sal's chin to tilt it up as he held another blade to his throat, causing him to stop suddenly. Sweat ran down his face as he panted through his nose, jaw tight and eyes still on the camera.

"Who killed Alberto Falcone and Luigi Maroni, Sal?" Joker asked uncharacteristically calmly.

Tears welled up in Maroni's eyes, stripped of his reputation, he felt degraded, humiliated. The legitimacy of his position as head of the Falcone clan would be shattered and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Joker had taken what was most important to him and singlehandedly crushed it. Just like Harvey Dent.

"Me!" Maroni cried out. "Me!... I did," his voice falling to almost a whisper.

Joker licked his lip and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling before he said, "Good boy." The knife only nicked his skin before Joker suddenly let go of him.

He casually walked toward the camera and said, "Well, there ya have it folks!"

Maroni stared at him, slack jawed as Joker turned around to face him with a grin pulling at his scars. He took the camera off of the tripod and pointing it at Maroni as he said, "Say goodnight, Sal!" before laughing as he switched it off and put it in his coat pocket.

Nora smiled at Joker as he approached her. They'd been through so much. Blood, sweat, and tears didn't even begin to cover it. As painful and depraved and disarrayed as it all was, she was glad that this was where she ended up. Her heart fluttered and without thinking about it, she took his hand in hers. He smirked at her and lifted her hand in his to kiss it before they silently headed toward the door.

"Hey! What the fuck is this? HEY!" Maroni shouted after them as the lights flicked off and door shut.

Nora couldn't keep the smile from her face as they left the building and made their way down the street where Enigma was waiting with the car. Joker reached into his pocket and took out a remote detonator then stood behind Nora to tuck her against his chest, wrapping her fingers around it.

Maroni screamed into the darkness in the basement where he once held her hostage as Nora and Joker pressed the button and his club went up in flames.

Songs for this chapter: Hysteria and Space Dementia by Muse

**Thank you for reading!**

**Reviews welcome as always! **


	22. Chapter 22: Selfish and Selfless

THE LAST CHAPTER

Guys... omg. I'm so sorry this chapter has taken me so long. Life has been... hard. I went through a pretty intense bout of depression but I'm finally feeling more like myself. But I'm really really happy with this ending and I really really hope you like it! Its bitter sweet to post it to say the least, holy moly 😭 I really can't say this enough - THANK YOU. Thank you so much for reading, for your support, for your feedback, your interest in this story! I started it ten months ago, having absolutely no idea that it would turn into what it is now. 22 chapters, 221 pages, 110963 words!  
Eeeee here we go, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear it!

**Chapter Twenty Two: Selfish and Selfless **

The tires squealed on the wet pavement, sirens screaming in the background, as Engima sped through the streets of Gotham. Nora couldn't stop laughing while she watched J lean out of the car window, cackling into the wind.

The detonator set off an explosion large enough to send a tower of thick black smoke higher than the surrounding skyscrapers, taking Maroni and his club with it. That familiar and intoxicating shockwave of incendiary propulsion rattled Nora's body down to her bones. She was starting to understand J's passion for all things combustible.

It was a surreal feeling, the calm amongst the chaos. Maroni was gone. She felt free. Her heart was light, remorseless, exalted by the fire that took that vile man with it. She'd never felt this way about someone's death before, a death that she was partially responsible for. It was remarkably relieving, this permanent reprisal.

Joker's joviality was contagious and soon she was leaning out of the other car window, closing her eyes, feeling the wind blow through her hair. Little spits of raindrops started to tickle her face before she was suddenly pulled back into the car. She barely had a chance to be startled before Joker's lips found hers. Her eyes fluttered closed again and her thumbs brushed against his scars as she reached up to hold his face. He smiled against her lips, pulling her over his lap in the back seat, deepening the kiss. Nora sat on his lap, her knees resting on either side of it, and weaved her fingers into his hair. A growl vibrated in his throat and he nipped at her lower lip before lurching forward with a sudden pumping of the brakes.

Enigma laughed from the driver's seat, "Almost good as a cold shower!"

Joker grunted and pulled Nora up with him from where they smashed against the the driver's seat while she laughed along with Enigma. "Ohhh, you're gonna regret that later, E," he grumbled, unable to hide the little chuckle underneath his threat.

The sound of sirens was long gone by the time the car pulled into an alley in West Harlow. The street was eerily quiet as Nora turned her key in the lock of the side door at Gotham City Veterinary Urgent Care. The treatment room was dark and quiet, the red light of the exit sign reflecting off of the metal tables. She squinted while her eyes scanned to room, ensuring the place was empty from the doorway before stepping inside, Joker following close behind her.

Ever since her run-in with Jen to retrieve her drug box, Nora hadn't been back to the clinic. The last anyone heard of Nora's whereabouts was the Gotham Tonight story about her presumed kidnapping. Maroni had taken care of the rest. With the help of his corrupt cops, the search for Nora had been called off after forging a phony report confirming the discovery of her body at Gotham Pier. But that story never made it to the news desk.

She was lost in the torrent of reports on the mysterious disappearance of a patient at Gotham General, the massacre at Maroni's club, and soon the latest story on the sudden death of Toni Zucco and the anonymous tip that brought down the last human trafficking ring in Gotham. So much had gone on in the last week that rumors were beginning to circulate that maybe Batman was back. As far as her coworker's knew, Nora could dead or alive. After collecting her bribe and reporting Nora's name to the Gotham PD, Jen packed up and left town without another word about her, adding to the confusion. Not to mention the disappearance of their shift lead, Matt as well. The large number of missed calls and text messages on Nora's phone echoed in silence where she left it sitting on her kitchen table. Needless to say, anyone who knew Nora was left only to guess what was going on.

But Nora wanted closure. Not just for herself, but for her old life. She was leaving so much behind. It wasn't a loss, though. It was a new beginning. Her world was turned upside down, but she learned to walk on the ceiling. She liked it better here, on the crazier side of things. Everything she went through since Joker showed up at this door changed her. She wasn't content sitting on the sidelines anymore, she got a taste of of life without rules and she wasn't going to look back.

She gathered everything from her desk that was her's and started tossing it into a duffle bag while Joker picked things up from the shelves to examine.

"Here we are again, hm?" he said, his eyes on the tip of a syringe he held between his fingers.

Nora put the bag down smiled softly at him. She remembered that night vividly, her conflicting emotions, the adrenaline. She knew she should've been afraid of him, but she didn't want to be. He knew it, too. Each drew the other closer and closer until the tension caved in and they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. "Here we are."

Suddenly Nora's stomach suddenly sank like a stone as her euphoria was disturbed by a sharp prickle of uncertainly, dubiety threatening to take everything away from her. What now? What would become of her now that Maroni was gone? The thought never occurred to her before and now she found herself doubting that she'd still be in the picture after it was all over. Everything happened so fast, maybe it would disappear even faster. It could slip right through her fingers. Where does she belong?

Then Joker took slow steps toward her, his dark eyelids heavy while he gazed at her, as if he could read her thoughts. He lifted his hand to bring it to her cheek. The cool leather of his glove raised goosebumps down her back while a warmth bloomed in her belly. He picked her up from beneath her thighs to sit her on the exam table and stood between her legs. He pulled her closer until their foreheads touched and her fears began to dissolve, her hands gently gripping his forearms. Maybe if she just kept acting like she belonged, she could make it true.

"Y'know what?" he asked. Her eyes lifted to meet his in response and he answered, "We better stock up cause you're about to be a, ah, ver-y busy doctor."

Relief brought a bright smile across her face, her uncertainty quieting before Nora chuckled and brought her lips to his. Joker's chest rumbled as the corners of his mouth curved upward against her kiss and he leaned in to nudge her onto her back. Nora's giggles echoed off of the walls as he climbed onto the table over top of her to kiss and bite at her neck, working his way downward while she unbuttoned his pants.

"Jesus, finally!" Enigma exclaimed when Nora got into the back seat of the car twenty minutes later, Joker soon after her, carrying the duffle bag they'd filled with syringes, scalpels, suture, and other supplies emptied from the clinic's drawers.

"We, uh, got a little caught up," Joker chuckled.

Enigma shifted his eyes to look in the rear-view mirror, Joker's toothy grin already waiting for him. "I fucking knew it!" he yelled while Joker and Nora cackled in the back seat.

A few blocks away, Nick and a handful of other men finished taking the last few boxes of Nora's things from her apartment. Her neighbor, Leann, locked her door behind her, a thick stack of cash and a letter from Nora thanking her for "her cooperation" in her hand.

Their car took off toward the Narrows, a message in red paint left to dry on the wall above the now empty shelves.

"I QUIT "

Joker kicked the door open at the warehouse, Nora clung to his back with her arms around his neck. "To do a great right, do a little wrong and curb this cruel devil of his will!" he called out, running toward the kitchen while Nora laughed, bouncing with his strides.

"What?" Q asked, staring at him from the sink where he was trying to get blood out of his shirt.

Joker let Nora down from his shoulders and replied plainly with a grin, "Shakespeare."

Q responded with a confused smile and a chuckle before Joker started grabbing bottles from the shelves beneath the counter. It wasn't long before Enigma came in carrying Nora's duffel followed by the arrival of the semi truck and the rowdy clown-masked men inside it.

Soon the building was alive with voices and laughing, keeping with the new tradition of celebrating their nefarious victory with paradoxical revelry. Joker shed his coat and gloves before he made sure to make a show out of preparing Nora's Campari and gin for her while she laughed at his exaggerated display of pouring and mixing. Then he passed bottles of brown liquor to Enigma to be distributed around the room.

"Injustice is served, boys!" Joker yelled over the crowd, cheers and whistles ringing in Nora's ears while she raised her glass along with them.

Alcohol and cigarettes began to buzz in Nora's head where she sat in J's lap, his hand at her waist. He held her close to him, his fingers giving her hip a gentle squeeze to get her attention. A little smirk tugged at her lip and she turned her head to be met with his lips attaching to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed while she melted into his kiss, his scent of greasepaint filling her nose and his taste on her tongue as it tangled with his. He seemed to enjoy flaunting his affections for her in front of his men by now. At least she thought so. She didn't mind if he did, indulging in the thought of it and reaching her hand into his hair to give it a tug.

"The kid returns!" Enigma shouted from his seat at a poker game.

Override shrunk back from the eyes that were suddenly on him where he stood just inside the doorway. He undoubtedly did look a bit out of place among this crowd, his hesitance now visibly pulling him back toward the door.

Joker snorted a laugh and turned back to Nora, their noses almost touching. She grinned back at him and nodded, getting up from his lap to let him up before joining him as he strolled over to Override.

"So ya made it! Glad to see you in, uh, one piece," Joker said.

Override quickly nodded and answered, "Thanks boss."

"Got somethin' for me?"

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag to hand it to Joker. Between his fingers was a playing card with the image of a devil, pointed tail curled and head crowned a jester's hat, tossed back and cackling toward the sky. The edge of the card was stained with blood and typed letters on it's face read, "WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?".

Joker smirked at it, physical evidence of his game of cat and mouse with the masked vigilante that he so loved to play, in a bag marked "EVIDENCE". Anyone who thought he'd let that go must be crazier than him. They are perfect foes, after all. He made it clear that if there was anything the Bat stood for, he'd be there to bring his faults to light. They were both lawbreakers, weren't they? Batman bent the rules in the name of so-called justice and Joker, he didn't claim any rules. It wasn't that he was jealous of the Bat, working the system in favor of his own intent and getting away with it, it wasn't that. However annoying that is. It's that he inevitably contradicts himself in the process of upholding a false sense righteousness. It's an incongruous purpose. It's ripe for mockery and so very amusing to poke fun at. Like he said before, they're destined to this forever.

"Good work, kid," he grinned, slipping the card into his vest pocket. Then he reached into another pocket and pulled out a small videotape, handing it to Override before walking away. "You know what to do."

Override blinked at him and nodded silently, dropping it into his own pocket. Nora smiled at him and said, "It really is good to see you in one piece."

He returned a modest smile that slowly grew. Assuming his new role as some kind of double agent, he'd brought the group of kidnapped women he freed from his father to MCU. He managed to slip away among the already hasty commotion, without notice. After hacking the security system, he quickly retrieved the memento for Joker and rushed to head back to the warehouse. What he hadn't prepared for was his anti-accomplice, Clem, regaining consciousness and waiting him. Faced with the hulking man staring him down in the alley where he hid the car, he made a choice. He didn't have to take anyone's side but his own. Why not live by his own rules? He already had toed the line between right and wrong. Why not walk the line some more? Lean to one side or the other as it suits him. Not a mercenary, something different. He pulled the gun out of his pocket, still unfamiliar in his hand, and aimed. The car sped out of the alley only a moment later, leaving Clem's body behind on the wet asphalt.

Override walked with Nora to join Enigma and Q at their poker game, a beer in his hand before he even asked for one. The noise in the warehouse rose higher toward the ceiling, the sounds of verboten celebration filling the air. Several rousing poker games were being played along with billiards on a pool table, which was not so covertly stolen from Maroni's safe house, and a game of five finger fillet started, for which Nora refused to treat any resulting injuries, but J couldn't resist showing his men how its done.

Joker slapped his hand flat onto the table, his black-rimmed eyes narrowed and a smirk on his face. "You sure you, uh, wanna do this?"

Nick laid his palm down across from him and nodded determinedly as he answered, "I'm sure."

A switch blade clicked open in Joker's other hand and he asked, "What do I get when I win?"

"Bragging rights?" Nick chuckled.

"Not good enough."

He blinked at Nick who thought for a moment then said, "How 'bout winner gets first pick?"

"Now we're talkin'," Joker growled as his lips curled into a grin, his eyes locked on Nick's. "Three strikes and you're ou-t."

Nick broke eye contact to take a deep breath then held the knife in his fist, blade pointed down, and readied it next to his flattened hand. He blew the air out then started tapping the wood between each finger with the sharp point, back and forth from beside his thumb, then to the next finger. The blade tapped next to his pinky then back, all of his fingers intact. The crowd of goons that had gathered cheered at his success and Nick grinned at Joker has he handed the knife over. "Your turn… boss."

The corner of Joker's mouth twitched, and he hummed in his chest before taking the knife and swiftly stabbing it between his fingers, almost twice as fast as Nick. The goons cheered louder as he stuck the blade into the wood between them, leaving it there for Nick to yank it out while he flashed a cocky smile at him. Nick stared at his hand before clenching his jaw and starting again. Pointer finger, middle finger, then he winced and hissed through his teeth as the blade sliced the edge of his ring finger. The men jeered while he nursed his bloodied appendage, a low chuckle coming from Joker who eyed him from across the table.

"Strik-e one."

Joker licked at his scars and picked up the knife from where it was dropped, readying it in his hand while he stared Nick in the eyes and raised his eyebrows. Even faster this time, he jabbed the point of the blade between his fingers with ease, his expression like stone. Almost like he was bored. While the shouts and yells grew louder around them, a now thoroughly vexed Nick grabbed the knife and matched his pace, his agitation clearly affecting the steadiness of his hand. He almost made it before his hand jerked and he succumbed to strike two with a pierce between the knuckles on his last finger. He shouted in frustration, shaking his injured hand in an attempt to quell the pain while Joker cackled louder.

"Strike two!"

Nora had rolled her eyes at their laddish display of fortitude at first, but now she couldn't help but feel the excitement. _Alright, I'll stitch him up, I guess_. She stepped up closer to Joker, flashing a sly smile at him while he twirled the knife around and made rather sultry eye contact with her. He kept his eyes on Nora, switching the knife to his left hand and sliding his right onto the table. The inebriated spectators around them whistled and hooted for the added challenge of using his non-dominant hand before he swiftly tapped the knife between his fingers with precision, the cheers growing into a roar. Nora returned his provocative gaze and bit her lip, feeling that familiar warmth pooling in her core. His showing off of his deadly skill, the expert control he had over the sharp blade, she couldn't deny that it was bringing out a more primal attraction in her. Why? She nearly squealed when he snatched her wrist, humming in his throat as he pulled her into his lap, tucking her between his arms. Nora grinned to herself when she felt him starting to grow stiff beneath her.

Nick sighed heavily and reached for the knife, staring at its edge before closing his left palm around the handle. He sat for a moment in silence, looking from the knife to his hand and back.

Q and Enigma began to cheer him on while Joker grinned confidently and asked,"Giving up?"

"Not a chance!"

He took a breath and started moving the knife quickly through its paces. Before he could blink, he'd finished without a scratch and the crowd around him erupted with cheers, slapping him on the back and shouting at the group on the other side of the table. Joker licked his teeth with a smack and nodded his head slowly. The eye contact he made with Nick could have turned him into ice, but he didn't budge, only smiling back at him. He knew better but the thrill of his success was getting to his head. Nora grinned back at him, enjoying playing a little bit of devil's advocate.

Then the pit of her stomach dropped when Joker swiped the knife from Nick and jabbed the blade between his fingers, this time with more force. Her pulse quickened and a rush passed through her body from watching the sharp edge graze so close to his flesh. Marks were left behind in the wood and on his last pass over his thumb, he flicked his gaze up to Nick before suddenly slicing the side of it. Nora gasped and blood welled up from the wound. He kept still and stared back at his confused opponent with a straight face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is the objective to, uh, no-t carve yourself up?"

The goons on his side burst into laughter while Nora laid her head back against his shoulder and caught her breath. Joker was nothing if not skilled at keeping people on their toes, her included. Nick did his best to hide his embarrassment as he reached for the knife. His determination was threatening to falter but he was no quitter and prepared to drive the knife down harder this time. He watched the blood drip down Joker's thumb and the thought of stabbing himself even harder than before made his sweat go cold. The crowd went silent, waiting for him to either give up or start again and drive the knife into another finger. Then, before he could change his mind, Nick suddenly put the tip of the blade to his thumb and made a shallow cut.

Hollers and yells rang in Nora's ears before money began changing hands as Joker smirked at Nick. "A noble acquiescence, my friend," he chuckled.

Nick cracked a smile back and said, "At least I tried, ya gotta give me that."

Joker hummed and extended his hand for Nick to accept. Nora wrinkled her nose at their bloody handshake and moved for Joker to stand and saunter across the warehouse to choose his prize. Stacked on the counter near the kitchen, a group of clown masked goons had just finished unloading a large stash of luxury food items. Cheeses, olives, Italian meats, and bread were snatched during their raid of the restaurant Sal had been using as a front for his various mob dealings before leaving it in flames. Joker licked his lips and walked along the rows of expensive charcuterie before reaching for a sizable brown paper package labeled "Culatello di Zibello" while Nick cursed, and an aged cheese Nora couldn't pronounce. He chuckled to himself, grabbing the oldest bottle of red wine he could find, then Nora's hand.

Before turning to leave, he looked to Nick and said with a giggle, "You tried."

Nora sat on top of Joker's desk with his hand propped on her knee while he sat in his chair. Since Nick's wounds were superficial, she left the job of bandaging him up to Enigma while they retreated to Joker's room to stitch up the laceration on his thumb. She wiped away the dried blood with antiseptic while he poured wine from the bottle into two coffee mugs with his other hand.

"You tired of, uh, patching me up yet?"

She smiled to herself, tossing the bloodied gauze aside and keeping her eyes on the gash. "You actually get hurt less than your guys," she answered.

Her fingertips brushed the warm, callused surface of his hands and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. His hands were rough, but she liked it. They had a certain dexterity. They gave her tingles when they slid down her sides, when they brushed against her neck. His hands were capable of such brutality but also such potent satisfaction. It was all how he chose to use them. That human need to touch and to be touched. He knew how, she'd only reminded him. His hands, though stained with viciousness, knew how to caress, how to trace lightly, how to raise goosebumps, how to please. She realized what it was about watching him with that knife. There was this danger that was hidden, but it was always there. The hands that wrapped around her body so intimately could just as easily take it all away. The thrill it gave her should have been obvious long before now but now she could see it. She knew she hadn't tamed him, and she never wanted to. She didn't want to change him. She knew he was human, but nothing about those hands had changed.

Joker's heavy-lidded gaze watched her gloved fingers prepare a reel of suture, handling her instruments with care and control. She held the needle next to his thumb and stopped. Their eyes met and the butterflies in Nora's stomach took to the skies. She saw something looking back at her, past the suit, the scars, the paint. He felt something, she could see it. Time after time, she'd seen it. Why couldn't she just believe it? Everything she'd heard about him, before she really knew him, told her it wasn't possible. That if she let herself believe it, she'd only be let down. But she kept getting closer. She wanted to believe it.

"But no I, um, I'm not tired of patching you up yet," she said quietly.

He didn't break their gaze and nodded slowly at her. He was reading her expression, looking for clues about what she was thinking. Was it the same as what he was thinking? That maybe she would never be happy here. That maybe she'd been playing along because she thought she had to, not because she wanted to. That he'd taken her hostage after all. The realization hit him in the chest like a bullet. Did she want a white wedding and a picket fence? Those aren't things he can give her. He doesn't think about what anyone else wants. At least he didn't before. He wanted her to want to be here. Of course, it was selfish, but he wasn't going to force it to be so. If she didn't want to be here, he didn't want her to stay. But the thought of her with another man made his blood run hot. He wanted her to want him.

Nora blinked and asked, "Are you ready?"

He nodded once more, and she carefully passed the needle through the edge of his skin. She flicked her eyes back up to his face, but he kept still, so she kept going, passing through the other side and tying the first knot before snipping the nylon suture and moving on to the next stitch.

"Well if you're not tired of patching me up, then are you tired all of, uh, this?" he asked, waving his free hand in the air to gesture around the room.

She pierced through his skin for the next stitch. What was he trying to say? Should she be tired of it? It wasn't clear where this was going but she was going to be honest either way. "No, I'm not. I like it here, J."

He narrowed his eyes and chewed the side of his tongue before asking, "How do I know you're telling the truth, hm?"

Her heart flipped in her chest as she snipped the last suture and replied, "Why else would I still be here?"

"Did you have a choice?"

She stopped. That uncertainty came rushing up from the back of her mind like a cold wave and wouldn't let go. It had been held back, smothered by her need for believe he wanted her, but something let it free to force her to face it. A lump suddenly formed in her throat and she held it back as she nodded, looking at the floor.

"I… think I did." She did choose to be here. She didn't have to take his offer to work for him, he gave her a choice. Right? She chose to be here, to stay here. But doubt took hold of her lungs and started to squeeze.

He watched her, the tears that were threatening to gather behind her eyes, her jaw tight. That's all it would take to rip her world apart. Just tell her he'd tricked her. Say she'd been manipulated like everyone else he crossed paths with. Then she'd leave and everything would go back to normal. He wouldn't have to wrestle with these thoughts of love and white picket fences. But it would rip his world apart too. The thought of not being able to touch her again made him feel as though his heart had stopped. He had told himself he could love someone. But what if he actually had tricked her? He tricked her and he didn't even know it yet.

"You did," he said.

Nora held her breath and looked up to meet his gaze. He had that look in his eyes, but could she believe it? She swallowed and managed to take a breath to say, "I don't understand."

He stared back at her, "You did. And you're here."

She couldn't look away from those eyes if she wanted to. It looked like there was something he wanted to say, but it just wouldn't leave his mouth. She sat motionless, his hand still in her lap, and she nodded slowly, the lump in her throat beginning to shrink.

"Why are you still here?" he asked.

He needed to know. If not now, then when? He wasn't going to wait for her to finally snap one day. To end her pretending and show him how she really feels. To run to the cops, begging them to save her from this mad man who forced her to be with him. Wouldn't she have done that by now? If she was here because she had to be, wouldn't she have done that by now? But if he admitted he had feelings for her, feelings beyond sheer want or lust, she'd be taken away from him somehow. That's just how the world works, isn't it? All of this felt so senseless. Why did it feel so senseless?

"Because I want to be here," she said softly.

She knew what it was now, that look in his eyes. He was worried. Just like she was worried. Genuine feelings seemed almost too good to be true. There had to be some kind of catch, some reason all of this wasn't real. But there was no catch. Nothing that would take it all away.

"I'm here because I want to be here, with you, and that's it."

He blinked and took a breath, his heart restarting in his chest. There was nothing stopping him. No opposing impetus, no awaiting fate. All he had to do was let it go. It was senseless. But it didn't have to make sense, did it? Nothing really makes sense, after all. He sat up on the desk across from her, leaned in and asked with a little sparkle in his eye, "So I haven't tricked you, hm? Manipulated, exploited, kidnapped? Taken away your free will?"

Nora felt the warmth of his breath on her face and started to smile while she shook her head. "Nope."

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he cracked a smile back. "How about, uh, captivated? Bewitched, seduced, en-raptured? Did I awaken some longing desire?" he purred, bringing his face closer to hers.

She chuckled softly and leaned closer to brush her nose against his cheek, his intoxicating scent of greasepaint and musk permeated her senses, making her pulse race and filling her with warmth. Her lips grazed his when she spoke, "Let's just say I fell pretty hard for Gotham's most wanted man."

His lips parted and she felt them form a grin against hers while his hand slid up her back to rest on the back of her neck. He felt goosebumps rise beneath his fingers and his voice rumbled in his throat, "Mmm, well he fell for you too."

He suddenly captured her lips with unrestrained passion, pulling her closer and into a kiss that she felt all the way down to her toes while her heart soared. Nora wrapped her legs around his waist where they sat on the desk, putting her hands everywhere she could reach while he held her face, crushing his lips against hers. His mouth tangled with hers voraciously until they both gasped for air. She opened her eyes as Joker tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his other hand still holding her face. Doubt no longer held a place in her mind. Her worries were erased, swept out of her by his kiss. He had nothing to hide and neither did she, they could just be. Call it love or don't, it doesn't matter. It may never be spoken but it didn't need to be. They knew what it was, they didn't have to call it anything. It stayed there, invisible, pulling them toward each other with senseless desire. Both selfish and selfless. You're mine and I'm yours.

The revelry in the warehouse continued through most of the night while the crew indulged in the spoils of their victory. Once quiet finally hung heavy in the air, the tape documenting Sal Maroni's last moments made its journey in Override's pocket to be left anonymously on the front doorstep of the last remaining Falcone operations base. Labeled "Salvatore Maroni 1942-2008", the tape was hurriedly played and soon viewed by anyone associated with his name. His legacy received no mercy, no vows for revenge, no outrage on his behalf. Tears were shed for his life, but his reputation was tarnished. The truth had come out and no one stepped up to defend him, not after what they'd seen. Sal Maroni had been utterly erased.

The early morning hours also concealed another covert delivery. While the first rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the Wayne penthouse, the always attentive valet, Alfred Pennyworth, busied himself with preparations he'd made a habit of over the past few months. Ready at a moment's notice for Bruce's return. On his way past the window, he was startled by a dark figure on the balcony. After realizing what it actually was that he was seeing, he cautiously approached the large section of black fabric that was hanging from a line strung up on the roof. It flowed lazily in the breeze, it's presence ominous and unsettling, and once he touched it, he recognized it. Bruce's cape hung there in front of him and attached was the all too familiar joker card. "WILL THE REAL BATMAN PLEASE STAND UP?"

Alfred froze, a note handwritten in red ink dangling before his eyes as the wind blew the cape around. "Wrest once the law to your authority. To do a great right, do a little wrong, and curb this devil of his will. Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"

Song for this chapter: Third Eye by Florence + The Machine


End file.
